Ken William Esplin Passed away April 13, 2026, at the Cedar City Hospital, Cedar City, Utah. He was 93 years old.
He was born on January 18, 1933, in Hurricane, Utah, to William H. and Mary Vinona Esplin. He lived and went to elementary school in Hurricane until he was about 12 years old. His family then moved to the Graff Ranch just north of Kanarraville, Utah, where his dad was the ranch manager. He attended Junior High and graduated from Cedar City High School. He was drafted into the Army shortly after High School but his induction into the Army was put on hold due to a broken leg from an automobile accident. The Army allowed him to take two years to recover so he was called on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to the Northern States Mission that took in Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Southern Manitoba and Ontario Canada. Upon his return from the mission field late 1956, he was re-inducted into the Army and was sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for basic training and then on to Germany with the 34th Armored Tank Battalion stationed in Munich. Just a few days after he was released from the Army, he met his sweetheart Alice Dayle Stevens of Parowan and they were married May 7, 1960, in the Saint George Temple. Together they had three children. Juli Dawn, Steven Ken and Tracy William.
Ken worked several different jobs while attending college to include being a security guard at the Mercury Test Site, a bus driver for the Utah Parks Service, taking people to see the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks National Monument. He became a Real Estate Broker and opened his own Real Estate Office (Chaparral Realty) next to the original Pizza Factory and The American Motor Company. Later on, he took a job as the Real Estate Advisor for the Southwest Bureau of Indian Affairs making many improvements for the Paiute and Navajo Tribes in Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. In his semi-retired life, he took a job with the school district driving school bus. He really enjoyed taking the kids to wrestling matches and other school outings. He was able to drive many of his grandkids to school on the big yellow school bus. Ken loved horses and was as great horseman. He kept horses until his dad retired from work on the farm.
Ken loved his childhood in Hurricane and on the farm. He learned how to work hard and has many stories of him and his dog Brinko. He loved helping his Grandpa Spendlove with the cattle on the Arizona Strip and up on Kolob at the Spendlove Oak Valley Ranch. He loved Kolob and spent a lot of time there.
Ken joined the Utah National Guard where he held many positions in the 2-222 FA, I Corps Artillery and at Draper Headquarters. He retired with 34 years of service at the rank of Master Sergeant E8.
Ken never met anyone that he didn’t know instantly. He had such a way with people that he made instant friends with those he met. He loved his kids, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was an expert gardener and loved sharing his bounty with friends and neighbors. Ken held many callings in church that he loved. His favorite callings were being a counselor in the Bishopric in the old 5th ward, and a temple worker for 5 ½ years at the St. George Temple along with his sweetheart Dayle.
He is survived by his wife, Dayle Esplin of Cedar City; daughter Juli Corry (Dale) of Cedar City; son Steven Esplin (Tulsi) of Cedar City; and brother John Esplin (Edie) of Cedar City; 13 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his son, Tracy Esplin (Brenda); his parents, William H. and Mary Vinona Esplin; his sisters, Jeanine Bringhurst (Ben) and Dianne Davis (Gary); and his great-grandson, Cooper Corry.
The Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 12:00 pm at the Greens Lake Chapel (1120 W. Greens Lake Drive, Cedar City, UT). There will be a viewing Wednesday April 22, 2026 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Southern Utah Mortuary (190 N 300 W Cedar City, UT), and from 10:30 to 11:30 prior to the funeral at the Greens Lake Church. Interment will be at the Cedar City Cemetery, under the direction of Southern Utah Mortuary. To view the livestream of the funeral and share online condolences, please visit www.mortuary.org.