Royd Barth Waters

Royd Barth Waters, of Farmington, Utah, passed away on April 12, 2022, at the age of 64.

Royd was born April 11, 1958, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Donna and Gayle Waters. As the oldest child, Royd was always looking out for his two younger brothers, especially after their father passed away in 1961, when Royd was three years old. 

A self-described hellion as a child, Royd dreamed of growing up to be either a police officer or a farmer. He achieved the first of those dreams in 1983 and worked for the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Department as a Correctional Officer for the next 17 years. Later in life, you were likely to find Royd working in his garden or driving his tractor, living his dream of being a farmer (of sorts).

Royd married in 1982 and became the father of four wonderful, rambunctious children. Royd and children were a package deal when he married Vicki Walden in June of 1992. He and Vicki were married for 25 years before Vicki passed away from cancer in 2017.

On May 18, 2018, Royd married Michelle Lineback, who loved and cared for him through his last years and health struggles.

Royd loved spending time with his family, especially when camping or fishing - though the rest of the family much preferred the camping to the fishing. He considered his children to be his greatest achievement and was so proud of all of their accomplishments. Royd became a grandfather five years ago and cherished the time he had with his four grandchildren. 

As a faithful member of the LDS church, Royd served in many callings and was heavily involved in Emergency Preparedness efforts for both his ward and the city. Royd cared deeply about his community, going to great lengths to always do service for others. Every holiday season, he followed his grandmother's tradition and baked many loaves of stollen - a German Christmas bread - to share with every friend and family member (whether they wanted it or not). Royd was a friend to almost everyone he met, and spent many of his last days revisiting a lifetime of friendships. 

Royd is survived by his wife, Michelle; his children, Angela (Brian) Vazquez, Gayle (Candace) Waters, Sara (Shane) Howard, and Emily (Joe) Hatch; and by his grandchildren, Tristan, Shayla, Jaxton, and Noah. He is also survived by his mother, Donna Scharffs Hunt, and his siblings, Kevin (Kristin) Waters, Danny (Julie) Waters, and Jennifer (Gideon) Malherbe. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Vicki, and his father, Gayle Waters. 

Visitation will be held on April 21, 2022 from 10:00 am to 11:30 am at the Rock Church in Farmington, Utah (272 North Main Street). A service celebrating Royd's life will follow, at 12:00 pm, also at the Rock Church. Interment will take place at the Farmington City Cemetery after the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you donate to your local community garden.