Floyd Lorin Mangum

Floyd Lorin Mangum returned home with honor to his Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ on Sunday, February 2, 2025, joyfully reunited once again with his eternal companion, Sharon, his dear parents, grandparents, siblings and other loved ones gone before.

It all started back in 1932…July 1, 1932. Floyd was the first child of Lorin Robert Mangum and Genevieve Manwaring Mangum, born in Wilson, Utah, in the midst of the Great Depression. Due to the economic struggles of the time he learned to work at a very early age, picking fruit and delivering newspapers as a young boy. He worked hard his entire life and passed that work ethic on to his children.

His parents and siblings meant the world to him. He loved to share stories about his loving family who held a very special place in his heart and meant so very much to him. They worked together, sang together, fought neighborhood bullies together, supported each other and loved each other deeply.

He accepted a call to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the North Central States where he served honorably. He always felt that his mission was a failure as he only baptized one person. He found out years later from a relative of that individual that hundreds had joined the church because of his efforts, a promise given when he was set apart as a missionary. Following his mission, he was drafted into the Navy, where he served on the U.S.S. Missouri during the Korean War, in Bremerton, Washington.

He met the love of his life, Sharon Gordon, one Sunday after giving her brother Jim a ride home from church. A car pulled up behind them and the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen stepped out of the car. Upon finding she was Jim’s sister he said, “Introduce me!” She later said she thought at the time he was the most handsome man in the whole wide world and that he had the most beautiful smile. They were married for time and all eternity on September 5, 1961, in the Manti, Utah Temple. He loved her deeply and honored her for their entire marriage of 60 years.

Together they had 7 children: Gary, Becky, Julie, Brent, Tricia, Doug and Rick. He strived to be the best Dad he could be, and his children have many wonderful memories of him giving them airplane rides, singing songs, playing games and laughing together. He was always there for them, helping to fix breakfast and make lunches so they could get off to school. He would always get up in the middle of the night with them when they were sick. He never went to sleep until he knew all of his children were home safely.

He worked for Commercial Credit where he was responsible for repossessing cars. He had many frightening stories about close calls and run-ins he had when tracking down and repossessing cars from owners who had stopped making payments. He always acknowledged his Heavenly Father’s hand in protecting him during that time and throughout his entire life. Later on, he worked for Ford Motor Credit Company as an Office Manager and Sales Auditor where he found a lot of joy driving throughout Utah and Idaho visiting and auditing Ford dealerships. When he saw a Ford driving down the street he would always say, “Hats off and over the heart.”

He was an active and faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints his entire life. He strived to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ and lived his faith in word and in deed. He watched over and spent time visiting the widows in his ward, waking up his boys early on cold snowy days to ensure the widow's walks were shoveled. He willingly and constantly sacrificed for his family, friends and anyone in need. No one ever left his home hungry. He was a good and kind-hearted man, a true friend to all.

He was a deeply spiritual man and in tune with the Holy Ghost. He had many sacred and spiritual experiences throughout his life due to his deep faith, obedience and trust in the Lord. Just like his beloved Grandpa Manwaring, he was called to serve as a Patriarch in 1980. He gave patriarchal blessings to hundreds of God’s children, including to some of his own children and most of his grandchildren.

He had the opportunity to serve another mission for the Church with his dear wife in the Oklahoma, Oklahoma City mission faithfully serving under a very loving mission president-his brother Gene and wife Carma.

He loved to work in his big yard and large garden. He planted lots of trees in his yard throughout the years: Maple, Ash, Crab Apple, Blue Spruce, Cherry, Peach, Plumb, Apple, Walnut, Pear and Apricot. He also grew grape vines, berries, a yucca plant, bamboo and bushes. He loved his yard. He was an avid rockhound with a great love for geology. He loved rocks and gems and could tell you anything you would want to know about them. Throughout his entire life he had a dream of one day finding a gold mine. He enjoyed watching good old fashioned Western movies. According to him, if a movie wasn’t a Western it wasn’t worth watching. Perhaps this love came from his Grandpa Mangum who had served as a sheriff in Widtsoe, Utah.

He had a deep love of books and loved to spend time reading. He could easily read a book in a day. He collected hundreds of books throughout his life and was so proud of his library. When visiting with him in the last few years of his life he would always mention his books and how much he loved them. Like his dear mother, whom he loved with all of his heart, he was blessed with the gift of language, writing, poetry and storytelling. He loved to share stories. His children and grandchildren fell in love with his “Wildfire and Jim” stories, adventurous stories he made up about a young boy named Jim and his brave stalwart horse, Wildfire. These stories always included bad weather, villains, caves, gold and treasure.

He was loved for all of his fun and silly sayings: “It all started back in 1932", "Can I bring you up-to-date?”, “I’m about 2.5 on a scale of 4.0”, “Ye suffering cats!”, “For pity’s sake!”, “Lands sakes!”, “Horse feathers!”, “Don’t you know the Holy Ghost doesn’t get up until 8 a.m.?” and “You’re worth your weight in gold!” Along with many more.

He is loved by all and will be missed dearly by all. He is survived by his seven children: Gary (Liza) Mangum, Becky (Bob) Baird, Julie (Todd) Rindlisbacher, Brent (Catherine) Mangum, Tricia (Scott) Liddiard, Doug (Angela) Mangum, Rick (Dawn) Mangum, 31 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren; 2 brothers and 1 sister (Gene, Don, Lorna).

A viewing will be held on Saturday, February 15, 2025, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the Hunter East Stake Center (5000 W. Pavant Ave, WVC, Utah). Funeral services will be held at the same address at 12:00 p.m. Interment will be at the Valley View Memorial Park ~ Timberwood Garden (4400 W. 4100 S., WVC, Utah).