Leon Scott Hartshorn

L. Scott Hartshorn, born July 13, 1952, passed away peacefully in his sleep at home on May 20, 2025. He was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a loving husband, a father of six sons and five daughters-in-law, grandfather to sixteen grandchildren, and a successful transactional attorney. Known for his intellect, quick wit, charm, and clever sense of humor, he was adored and admired by his family and friends.

Born in Pasadena, California, he was the son of Leon Roundy Hartshorn and Beatrice Scoville Hartshorn, and was the oldest of five children (Scott, Mark, Julee, Jeanne, and Chris). From an early age, education and religious studies were central themes in their home as his father was teaching as a professor of religion and working to obtain a doctorate from the University of Stanford during his youth. In these demanding times, Scott often filled in as a father-figure, helping his mother to raise his siblings.

Scott was always very bright. His Patriarchal Blessing stated, “[God] has blessed you with a keen mind and a sharp intellect,” and that he would be able to “discern truth from error and good from evil and learn the depths and mysteries of our Father’s Kingdom.” Later in life, his father would say that he needed his Stanford education to withstand the many religious discussions they would have together in Scott’s search for spiritual truth and understanding.

While Scott would say he did not possess the gift of faith in the traditional sense, his application of logic combined with his many profound spiritual experiences served as a solid foundation in his testimony of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Scott served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Japan from 1971-1973. He was fond of telling stories about sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the Japanese people and how he was blessed with the gift of tongues as he quickly understood and fluently spoke the Japanese language. Following his mission, he met and fell in love with Janice Joy Proctor, and they were married and sealed for time and all eternity in the Provo, Utah Temple on December 20, 1974. He would often state that meeting and marrying Janice was the greatest blessing and accomplishment of his life - his story was their story. He then completed a bachelor’s degree in Japanese language in 1974 and obtained a law degree from Brigham Young University in 1978.

Scott was a successful attorney for more than 35 years. He excelled at the practice of law and genuinely enjoyed his work and the intellectual challenge of negotiating large commercial transactions and providing legal counsel for companies like Dow Chemical and Air Liquide. Becoming a lawyer would sharpen his way of thinking and his intellectual approach to life. This skill served him best when blessing the lives of those he loved by helping them navigate the many challenges of life.

He also loved home renovation projects, tinkering with his model trains, learning new languages, and trout fishing. He was an avid reader and would consume books on everything from science fiction to watch repair. Scott was a life-long learner and would seek out knowledge and embrace truth regardless of the source.

However, his pride and joy were sharing his life with his beautiful wife, raising 6 successful sons, and spending time with his 5 daughters-in-law and 16 grandchildren. Although he suffered from severe physical pain for most of his adult life and had increasingly limited mobility towards the end of his life, he was always intentional with his words and made it a point to tell his family members how much he loved and admired them during almost every interaction he had with them. His kindness, patience, wisdom, love and sense of humor will be missed by those who knew and loved him.

He is survived by his wife Janice Hartshorn, his sisters Julee Clegg and Jeanne Allen, his brother Chris, his sons Bryan, Jeff, Robert, James, Steven and Christian, his five daughters-in-law, Melissa, Christine, Kayla, Amanda, and Debbie, and his 16 grandchildren.

Above all, Scott worshipped the Lord and believed His words spoken to the Prophet Joseph Smith during his time of affliction, “[m]y son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.”