By John Byron Turner, For Iron County Today
Last Monday, April 6th, the people of Parowan came out for an unplanned procession down Main Street. It became a celebratory event born from a sad story. Samuel Winston Halterman, who passed away suddenly in early April, had been an active and prominent member of the Parowan Valley farming community for 45 years. He and his brother Mark had worked the family farm out in the valley for all these years. They grew many acres of crops like alfalfa and produce, and tended cattle, Sam was the very definition of a hard-working, farmer and an exceptional father. All of his school years were in the Parowan school system, he participated in several sports and made many life-long friends over the years. It seems as though everyone knew Sam.
Sam suffered a sudden and serious heart attack and never regained consciousness. His funeral was held on Monday, April 6th. In the brief time he was in the hospital, dozens of his fellow farmers stepped up and quickly organized a procession of some of the biggest farm equipment you will ever see in these parts, in honor of their friend. Sam was honored with this parade up Main Street that included 30 to 40 tractors and a couple of hundred on-lookers to say goodbye to the “First Gentleman of Parowan” who was also the husband of our current Mayor, Mollie Halterman. RIP Sam.
