Richard Antone SchmutzSt. GeorgeRichard Antone Schmutz, beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully on January 24, 2017. He was 91. Richard was born on October 13, 1925, in St. George, Utah, to Wilford Antone and Martha Foremaster Schmutz. He was the fourth of six children. As a boy and young man, Richard loved hunting, hiking and camping. He graduated from high school in St. George in 1943 and that fall was drafted into the US Army, where he spent the next two years in the Army Air Corps as an airplane mechanic. After the war, he served a 2½ year mission for the LDS Church in Switzerland, the land of his forbears. After returning home in the spring of 1949, Richard spied a lovely young woman - Miriam Christensen -- at church. She saw him, too, thought he looked like a movie star, and asked if he would teach her youth Sunday School class about missionary work. He agreed, but only on condition that she go on a date with him. That first date was one for the ages. They sat on the Red Hill overlooking St. George as the stars came out. He told her all about the stars and constellations, which impressed her greatly. Little did she know that all his knowledge came from a Reader's Digest article he'd read earlier that day. Richard and Miriam were married for time and all eternity in the St. George temple on October 29, 1949. They were blessed with five children: Linda (who died in a car accident in 1972), Chris (Susan), Evan (Cindy), Marilyn (Russell Owens), and Steve (Becky). To the children were born 19 grandchildren and there are now 33 great-grandchildren, with more on the way. Richard was an intelligent and hard-working man. He and Miriam and their (then) four children left St. George in 1957 and moved to southern California, where Richard worked his way through college, obtaining a PhD in Medieval History from USC in 1967. While attending university full-time, he also worked full-time in a variety of occupations (limo driver, night watchman for Howard Hughes, plastics salesman and gardener, among others) to support his family. For a time he had to live alone in a small apartment near USC during the week; he would live on mainly canned beans so he could save every penny and buy his children an ice cream cone when they came to visit on weekends. After teaching history at BYU from 1966 to 1972, he left to become a commercial land developer. In the sometimes rough-and-tumble world of commercial land development, he was the exception: thorough, patient, generous and completely honest. Integrity was his defining quality. He never ran away from a problem and never sought to shift blame. He just worked away until the problem was solved. Richard was fun to be with and was always up for a game of Boggle or a trip to Box Canyon. Richard and Miriam loved the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and devoted their lives to it. Richard served in many capacities, including bishop of the BYU 128th ward (1980-83) and a member of the Swiss Temple presidency (1995-96). Surviving Richard are all of his posterity other than daughter Linda; also his sister Janice Nisson and his brother William Schmutz. Preceding him in death was his eternal companion, and daughter Linda. Special thanks to the wonderful staff at The Seasons rest home in St. George, where Richard was treated like family. Services will take place on Saturday, January 28, 2017, with a viewing at 9:00 a.m. and a funeral at 11:00, both at Metcalf Mortuary, 288 West St. George Boulevard, St. George, Utah. Interment to follow in the St. George City Cemetery.