Samuel Clifford Leaver

Our remarkable husband, father, and friend, Samuel Clifford Leaver, passed away on April 26, 2023. Sam was born to Samuel Clifford and Edna Irene Leaver on March 9, 1935, the oldest of two children.
Growing up, Sam helped his parents run their pharmacy and gift shop in Salt Lake. He was a hard worker with an entrepreneurial spirit who graduated from East High School. After high school, he met the woman he would adore and pamper for nearly 65 years. He married Lynne Parry on July 18, 1958. They had two children, Larry and Michelle.
Sam and Lynne opened their own gift shop, but he found his calling was law enforcement and decided to pursue that dream. While working at their gift shop and the Salt Lake City Police Department, he also attended Weber State University to get his Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. Serving for thirty years with the Salt Lake City Police Department, he rose to the rank of Major and was the Assistant Chief of Police. He piloted many programs with the department and was a respected member of the Command Staff.
Not one to sit idle, Sam was an active member of Rotary International, serving in many capacities, including President of his Chapter and District Governor for the State of Utah. One of his favorite projects was the dictionary drive to provide free dictionaries to elementary schools around Utah.
His church community also benefited from Sam’s never-ending drive to serve. He and Lynne were members of the First Baptist Church when they first married, and where he had been going since childhood from when his father and mother helped erect the building on Thirteenth East. Later, he and Lynne moved to the Cottonwood Presbyterian Church, where they found another loving family in Christ. Sam served on so many committees it would be difficult to name them all, but he was a deacon, an elder, and most recently served on the Buildings and Grounds Committee, where he helped update the building for future generations.
Sam dabbled in real estate, served as president of their homeowner’s association, and volunteered whenever anyone needed something. He never stopped giving, caring, and loving, and those that knew him relied on him because they knew if the call came in, Sam would respond and do whatever he could to help out.
Sam is survived by his wife Lynne; his son, Larry (Lisa) Leaver; his daughter, Michelle (Randy) Thompson; grandchildren: Spencer, Austin, Cody, and Laramie; as well as great-grandchildren: Hudson, Evelyn, Carson, Kennady, and Melanie. He was preceded in death by his parents Sam and Irene, his sister JoAnn Jackson and Jerry Babble, for who he was the legal guardian.
A memorial will be held at Cottonwood Presbyterian Church, 1580 Vine Street, Murray, UT, at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, May 12, 2023. Family and friends are invited to attend and pay their respects.
“Service Above Self”
Service Information

Memorial Service
May 12, 2023 at 1:00 PM
Cottonwood Presbyterian Church