John Stuart Fitton completed his journey on this earth on November 4, 2020. He was a good and honorable man. John was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, brother, and friend. We mourn his passing but are grateful he is released from his illness and suffering.

See 7 photos

John’s journey started on July 17, 1946 in Blackpool, England. He was the first born child of William and Mable Brierley Fitton.

His family came to the USA when he was four years old. The family settled in Pine Canyon, Utah. They lived in a converted railroad car for a year. They later moved to Granger, Utah. He grew up in a loving family, very proud of his English heritage. He attended both Tooele High School and Granger High School, and fulfilled a building mission in West Lafayette, Indiana- they built a church addition which still stands today.

John joined the US Army and became a military policeman at Fort Golden Georgia, and Fort McPherson Georgia, Fort Hood Texas, and El Paso Texas. He was an MP in the Presidio of San Fransisco, and then on to Oakland Army Base where he was assigned to escort deceased soldiers from Vietnam home to their families in the U.S. He served with dignity and respect. During this time he met and married Susan Petersen in Brigham City, Utah at her father’s mortuary in 1970. Susan and John were later sealed in the Swiss Temple while they were stationed in Germany. Throughout their 50 years of marriage, John and Susan were blessed with four children and eleven grandchildren.

After returning to Utah, John continued with his active duty in the Utah Army National Guard and was 1st sergeant for the Headquarters Company. He continued his education earning his BS degree in Police Science from Weber State University. After retiring with 24 years in the military, John worked as a Corrections Officer at the Utah State Prison and worked for the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Department as a bailiff. He ended his career as a bailiff for Taylorsville Police Department serving Judge Kwan.

John was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving in various capacities including Sunday School Teacher and President, Ward Clerk, Executive Secretary and home teacher.

John loved working on cars, rebuilding and even taking trips in order to collect old car parts. It was very important to him that he always had running cars for his children. It was one way he showed his love for them, and they loved learning about car repair from their dad.

John loved to travel. He took his family on vacation every year. Later in life he loved to go on new adventures with Susan, traveling the world. John was a very hard worker. Some of their favorite destinations were England, San Diego, San Francisco, Hawaii, and Germany.

They spent a lot of time at the beach, Susan's favorite. He was an excellent example to his children. He passed his strong work ethic on to them. John was very proud of his British heritage and loved all things England. We are grateful to have been able to travel to the UK twice.

His love for England was only paralleled by his love for his country. He was a true patriot, and taught his family his values. He was a hero to his family. He is survived by the love of his life, Susan, and his children: Jennifer Fitton of Magna, Utah, Stuart (Erica) Fitton of Herriman, Utah, Jessica (Bret) Ingram of Taylorsville, Utah, and Jalee (Joshua) Scott of Washington, Utah. His grandchildren, Samantha and Jake Fitton; Ani, Gwendolyn, Owen, Lelah, Olive and Charlie Scott; and Dominique, Keegan, and Caroline Ingram.

He is also survived by his siblings Heather (Richard) Beeson, Phillip (Eveline) Fitton, and Keith (Marie) Fitton, along with numerous nieces and nephews.

He was proceeded in death by his parents, William and Mable Brierley Fitton, and brother, Dave Fitton.

Special thanks to our newest family member, Paulette, and also Debbie, Steffanie and the team at Tender Care Hospice for their love and care of John. Funeral services will be held on Monday, November 9, 2020 at 1:00 PM at the Granger West 7th Ward, 4460 West Cortney Drive, West Valley City, Utah. Viewings will be Sunday, November 8, 2020 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at Memorial Redwood Mortuary and Cemetery 6500 South Redwood Road, West Jordan, Utah, and again on Monday at the church from 11:00 AM – 12:45 PM. Interment to follow at Memorial Redwood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in his honor to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Due to the landscape of COVID-19, Salt Lake County’s guideline is that no more than 50 attendees will be in the building at the same time. To help with this, please social distance at the services, and wear a mask. Funeral attendees will be rotating through the viewings for who is in the building. To participate in the funeral service from your own home via live stream, please view the instructions below:

1. Joining by computer

a. Go to zoom.us in any internet browser

b. Click “join meeting”

c. Enter the meeting id - 8019693456

d. A box will open saying “https://zoom.us wants to open this application”. Click “open zoom”

e. Click “Join with Computer Audio”

f. Click “Mute” in the bottom left hand corner so that your audio does not interrupt the funeral services

2. Joining by phone or iPad

a. Download the Zoom app

b. Open the app and select “join a meeting”

c. Enter the meeting id - 8019693456

d. Select “join without video”

e. Select “Call using internet audio”

f. Select “mute” in the bottom left hand corner so that your audio does not interrupt the funeral services.