Rodney Paul Lee

Rodney Paul Lee of Glenwood, Utah, completed his valiant 15-year battle with kidney cancer and passed away on February 28, 2026, at the home of his daughter in Fillmore, Utah, surrounded by his loving wife and children.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara Lee of Glenwood, Utah; his children, Heidi (Robert) Worley of Fillmore, Utah; Monica (Danny) Johnson of Johnstown, Colorado; Greg (Brittney) Lee of Salem, Utah; and Melissa Lee of Pleasant Grove, Utah; his thirteen grandchildren, Grayden, Landen, and Lynlee Worley; Braxdon, Kaylee, and Sadie Johnson; Jayden, Jackson, and Taylor Lee; and Ever, Livie, Beckett, and Rowyn Lee. His siblings are Stuart (Kathy-deceased) Lee of Ogden, Utah; LaRae Lusk (Ken-deceased) of Tooele, Utah; and Kara (Steve) Peterson of Fernley, Nevada. Sister-in-Law Charlene Hawkins.

He was welcomed home by his parents, Nyal and Olive Lee; his sister, Brenda Lee; his brothers, Bruce and Douglas Lee; and his son, Jeff Lee, a reunion he had eagerly anticipated.

Rod was born on June 26, 1951, in Durango, Colorado, and grew up on a farm in Red Mesa, Colorado. From an early age, he learned the value of hard work and dedication, lessons that shaped the man he became and the principles he instilled in his children. His happiest childhood memories were spent outdoors picnicking, hiking, and camping in La Plata Canyon. He loved sports and could often be found playing basketball using a homemade hoop made from a fruit basket, tossing a football, or fishing in the river near Red Mesa.

When he was 14, his family moved to Hawthorne, Nevada, where his father found work at the Army Ammunition Depot. It was a difficult transition for him, leaving the beautiful mountains of Colorado for the high desert of Nevada, but one that would ultimately change the course of his life. He graduated in 1969 from Mineral County High School and then enrolled at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he studied Business Management. It was at the University of Nevada that he met and fell in love with his future wife, Barbara Saden, while playing volleyball at the LDS Institute. They shared a love of sports, cheering on the University of Nevada men’s basketball team and attending the Reno Aces hockey games, but more importantly, they shared a vision for a life centered on faith, family, and devotion to one another. They were married on June 8, 1973, in the Ogden Utah Temple.

Rod spent his career with the Bureau of Land Management as a realty advisor in Richfield, Utah. He and Barbara carefully chose Glenwood, Utah, as the place to raise their family, drawn by its small town, huge heart, good neighbors, and pure spring-fed water that Rod confidently declared the best in the nation. It was rivaled only by his devotion to the BYU Cougars. He proudly bled blue and held BYU football season tickets for 30+ years, faithful through wins, losses, and plenty of enthusiastic, or occasionally loud, disgruntled commentary from the stands.

Rod always swore he did not want to become a farmer, but you really can’t take the farm out of a boy. He loved digging in the dirt and eventually grew an impressive garden that stretched nearly a quarter of an acre. The grandkids knew that a visit to Grandpa’s house meant a full garden tour. He would proudly point out the carefully dug irrigation furrows, explain the art of watering, and loved to show off his prized produce, especially his famous “Glenwood spuds.” Rod’s garden produced more than vegetables; it produced perspective. If one of his kids “mouthed off,” the cure was simple: a five-gallon bucket and a long row of beans to pick under the summer sun. It was amazing how quickly attitudes improved somewhere around the third row and 90 degrees.

Service was not something he scheduled; it was simply part of who he was. Whether through his work on the town council or his faithful church callings, he showed his family that time given to others is never wasted. During the time he served as bishop, the family often came along for the ride, visiting the elderly, making trips to the Bishop’s Storehouse, entertaining at the Care Center, and turning long evenings at his church office into “horse” basketball games while he finished his work. He spent many happy and fulfilling years serving in the Manti Temple as an ordinance worker. He did not define service; he demonstrated it.

He would proudly say the “P” in his name stood for “Perfect.” In truth, it stood for something even better, “personality”, and he had plenty of that. He was stubborn as a mule, loud, impatient, and couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. He was aggressively opposed to painting, white rice, Mac & Cheese, and stepping foot in a city with a population over 10,000. He never picked up a hammer if there was a perfectly good roll of duct tape in the toolbox, and traveling by plane nearly did him in long before the cancer did.

With razor-sharp wit and a mischievous streak, he handed down the time-honored tradition of toilet-papering a neighbor’s house. He ran backyard football like a seasoned pro, calling the plays, running post routes, and hitting a perfect field goal every single time. Weekend snow tubing at the Sand Ledges was a family favorite, where inevitably, his truck would get stuck every single time. Backyard croquet was legendary, and he perfected the art of flirting with widows while disguised in his classic old-man mask and cane. He relentlessly teased anyone he loved.

He loved spending time with his grandkids, taking them for four-wheeler rides in the Glenwood hills, and playing Wii Sports with them, proving, again and again, that he was the reigning champion of Wii Bowling. Evenings usually ended with a John Wayne western, and Grandpa settling into his La-Z-Boy with buttered popcorn in one hand and a Hershey bar in the other.

He was a great listener and willingly carried the weight of everyone else’s worries, always ready to help solve a problem or offer steady advice. Despite facing a widow-maker heart attack, two brain bleeds, and the loss of a kidney and a rib, he never complained and stubbornly refused to let any of it slow him down before he was ready to go.

His unwavering love for his family and friends and his faith in his Lord and Savior will be his lasting legacy. He was a faithful, devoted husband, an incredible dad, and a grandpa. Though he will be fiercely missed, his family finds comfort in the promises he believed so firmly that families are eternal. His earthly watch is over, and we rejoice that he has heard, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

The family would like to express our deep love and gratitude to the many healthcare workers whose dedication gave us 15 years with our dad following his diagnosis. That gift is immeasurable. We would also like to thank Intermountain Health Fillmore Community Hospital and the angels walking the earth disguised as hospice workers who helped make his final days peaceful and comfortable.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at 12:00 noon in the Glenwood Ward Chapel. A viewing will be held prior to the services at the church from 10:00 to 11:30 am. Burial will be in the Glenwood Cemetery - Funeral Directors: Magleby Mortuary, Richfield, Salina, and Manti. An online guestbook and livestreaming of services can be found at www.maglebymortuary.com