Our loving husband, father and grandfather Val Lyman Ball, passed away peacefully at home on March 15, 2014, of natural causes, surrounded by his family who will all miss him so much. He was born on June 12, 1927, in Hyde Park, Utah, a son of Lyman and Lula Schenk Balls. At an early age, his family moved to Dayton, Idaho, where he was raised on a farm, and graduated from West Side High School in 1947. Although he left the farm in Idaho and lived most of his life in Bountiful, Utah, he was always an Idahoan at heart and spoke often of his friends and family from Idaho. He married his sweetheart, Phyllis Call of Bountiful, on June 8, 1953, in the Logan Temple, and together they were blessed with five wonderful children: Garth (Karen) of Farmington, Stan (Jan) of Murray, Theresa (Bruce) Christensen of Smithfield, Kevin (Becky) of Farmington, and Mary Lyn (Brent) Keck of Provo. At the age of 18, he joined the Merchant Marines near the end of World War II, and was later drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War, but spent most of his time in Austria with the Occupation Troops. He was very proud of his military service and found himself fortunate to meet many wonderful people, including his longtime friend and traveling companion, Paul John Noll, from his service in the Army. An active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Val served a mission to the Southern States, and in later years he and Phyllis served together at the Church History Museum. He graduated from the Utah Agricultural College in 1956 with a bachelor's degree in business. He then attended the U of U and received his teaching and librarian certificates. In 1971, he received his master's degree in library science from BYU and has been a loyal and true blue BYU fan ever since, always willing to bet a milkshake on his BYU Cougars. Val worked as a librarian in the Davis County School District for 28 years and also on the Utah State Book Mobile. He used his expertise in research by compiling many personal histories of departed loved ones and ancestors. He loved traveling the world and took his family on many adventurous trips, leaving us with many happy, fun memories together. His family was his pride and joy, and he took special care to be involved in each person's life, from his five children, to his 21 grandchildren, right down to the last of his 27 great-grandchildren, who will all miss those lucrative hugs from grandpa. He was a great man, with a giant heart, and we have been so blessed to have him as our Patriarch. Val is survived by his wife, Phyllis, their five children, his brothers: LeRoy (Hae) Ball & Mack (Tedra) Balls. His sisters: Mary (Walter) Squires, Elda (Bill) Winward, and Karren (Jay) Schvaneveldt. Preceded in death by his parents, a sister Cloma Heaton, a grandson Carter Christian Ball, and a great-grandson Kaydon James Christensen. The family would like to thank MaKell and Sherri for their tender care of Dad during his last few days. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 22, at the Bountiful 31st Ward Chapel, with a viewing from 10-10:45 a.m., 585 E. Center St. A viewing will also be from 6-8 p.m. Friday, March 21, at the Russon Brothers Mortuary in Bountiful, 295 N. Main St. Online guest book at www.russonmortuary.com.