Wilford Abrams Kowallis 90, passed away Tuesday November 29, 2005 at Sunshine Terrace. He was born June 6th 1915 in Kaysville, Utah, the son of Wilhelm Fredrich Kowallis and Bertha Iona Abrams. His mother lovingly called him her "straight arrow."

He graduated from Logan High where he excelled at sports winning state honors in football, basketball, and track. He attended Utah State Agricultural College where he majored in Forestry and worked summers for the forest service. He laughingly boasted he planted every tree in Logan Canyon. We delighted in believing him.

He served a German-England mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While on his mission he played basketball for the Rockford Saints which won the International Basketball title in France.

He claimed instant recognition when he met his sweetheart, Virginia Jones. They were married on November 22, 1938 in the Logan Temple. Together they formed a union of devotion and dedication to the Lord. They created a secure and happy home for their daughters. They enjoyed golfing, ski-doing, camping, the mountains, and their friends.

Together they worked a total of 52 years in the Temple. They served as missionaries in the Hartford Connecticut Mission. Dad also served as a Bishop of the Logan 3rd Ward for nine years, High Councilman, and Patriarch for the Cache and Cache West Stakes. In his devotion to God he found it natural to be non-judgmental and welcoming to all people.

He and his brother, Charles, owned and operated Kowallis Implement and Hardware, servicing many of the farms in Cache Valley. He had large, capable hands; hands that could fix anything or everything, hands that lifted, hands that blessed. He was strong of body but gentle of spirit.

He enjoyed life. He knew how to work hard. He had a wonderful reading voice, he loved reading. He thrived in the out of doors: hunting, hiking, and fishing. Except his faithful dog, Heidi, no one hiked back to his favorite fishing hole with him more than once; it was too exhausting. He laughed easily and muffed the punch line of every joke he ever told. He wanted everyone to get along, and rarely saw the negative. He wrote letters to cherish. He blessed the life of his grandchildren as an example. He was a hero and an example to his whole family.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers, Bill and Paul, and his sisters Marie and Illah.

He is survived by his sweetheart, Virginia; his daughters and son-in-laws, Marvin and Diane Fifield, William and Carol Onyon, and Mark and Julie Tandberg; his brother Charles, and his sisters Avis and Bertha; 14 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Sunshine Terrace on Wing 4 and in Physical Therapy for the tender care they gave our sweetheart and father the last few weeks of his life.

Funeral services will be held at 11 am, Saturday, Dec. 3 at the Logan Third Ward, 250 North 400 West. Friends and family may call from 6 to 8 pm Friday at the Allen-Hall Mortuary, and at the church on Saturday from 10 to 10:45 am prior to services. Burial will be in Logan Cemetery.

Condolences may be sent to the family online at Allen Mortuaries.