Kent Mellor

Milford, Utah — Kent Lowman Mellor passed away on September 27, 2026, at the age of 78. He was born on November 17, 1947, in Milford, Utah, to Thomas Grant and Lillian Mellor. Kent was raised in Milford, moved away for a short time, and returned home to raise his family, remaining a lifelong resident.

Kent graduated from Milford High School in 1966 and attended Salt Lake Trade Tech for one year. While living on the Wasatch Front, he spotted Randee Warren on the freeway and followed her off I-15 to introduce himself. After dating for only one month, they eloped at the courthouse in Elko, Nevada, in December 1973, with an agreement: If they did not like each other after one year, they would simply divorce.

Three years later, they welcomed a daughter, Malina. In early 2000, they were still joking that they had not decided whether they wanted to stay married. When someone asked how long they had been married, Randee simply said, “Twenty-six years.” Randee passed away suddenly soon afterward, in July 2000.

Kent never met a stranger and enjoyed chatting with workers at the hotels and restaurants where railroaders stayed and spent time while working. One front-desk worker he took a liking to was Jessica, who convinced Kent to give love another try after the loss of his wife. Thanks to Jessica, Kent met her aunt, Susan Ogden Bullard. They married in February 2002. Susan brought four children into the marriage: Amber, Andrea, David, and Devin. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Manti Utah Temple, and they shared 24 years together.

Kent served in the Army as a coder and as a member of an honor guard. He traveled around the West as a pallbearer for fallen soldiers, a service he was truly proud to be part of.

He began working for Union Pacific in 1970 and spent 36 years with the railroad. He started on the engineering crew as a surveyor before moving into a trainman position and retired in 2008. As any railroad trainman can attest, life as a railroader or railroad family is not always easy. For eight years, along with many other men in the local community, Kent worked in places such as California, Ogden, Green River, and Las Vegas. He lived away from home while his family remained in Milford, sharing apartments with other
railroaders.

During times when he was completely cut off from the railroad, Kent took on odd jobs. One summer, he stayed with his brother in Phoenix, Arizona, and worked as a roofer.

Railroad life was unpredictable, and he never knew whether he would be home for holidays, birthdays, or school events. Kent was home as much as possible. As his daughter got older, however, he tried to cover calls on Christmas morning so men with younger children could be home with their families on Christmas Day.

Outside of work, Kent loved guns, bird hunting, family genealogy, history, and teaching. In his younger years, he could often be found reading the encyclopedia. He loved the History Channel, old Western shows, and a good old-fashioned newspaper.

Kent was a great storyteller who could tell the date and time of every story. He could recount the family history of anyone originally from Milford. He told “inappropriate” jokes, always had a funny remark, and loved teaching history to anyone who would listen.

He was “100% Democrat,” and discussing politics with him meant he would school you—or tell you to get out if you pushed him too far. Above all, Kent loved his family, especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Kent was preceded in death by his mother and father, his sister Nancy, his wife Randee, his granddaughter Kamree, his son-in-law Jered, and many other beloved family members.

He is survived by his wife, Susan; his daughter, Malina (Dallas), of Milford; Amber (Brady), of Richfield; Andrea (Bryce), of Santaquin; David (Lyndse), of California; Devin (Trish), of Cedar City; 15 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; two great-granddaughters on the way; brothers Lowell (Susan), of Arizona, and Dale (Diana), of Iowa; and brother-in-law Rolin, of Arizona.

A graveside service will be held Thursday, October 1, 2026, beginning at noon at Milford City Cemetery.