John A. Teichert (age 90) passed away March 8, 2019, at home. He was born Nov. 1, 1928. He was the fifth and final child born to Herman Adolph and artist Minerva Kohlhepp Teichert, and their only child born in Cokeville, Wyo. His parents had moved to Wyoming the previous year, after their ranch on the Fort Hall Bottoms in Idaho had been inundated by the building of the American Falls Reservoir.
John grew up riding the range, putting up hay, feeding and milking cows. The family ran the town dairy for a number of years. During the war John and the boys in the community followed the threshing machines and helped those that didn’t have their hay in. This lasted until October, so the only sport was basketball. John played basketball on a state championship team in 1946.
After high school, he attended Brigham Young University for two years. He served a 2 1/2 year LDS mission to Finland. He then returned to BYU and was involved in the Delta Phi chorus, where he met his sweetheart Dorothy Black. They were married June 15, 1953, in the Salt Lake Temple just a week after John’s graduation in geology. A month later he left for the army. John served in the Topographic Engineers, and was stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco, including a summer in Alaska with a survey company.
Upon returning to civilian life, John worked as a geologist for Anaconda Mining in Butte, Montana, before enrolling in the University of Utah to receive a master’s degree. At that time oil companies were laying off geologists, so John ranched with his brothers before taking a job as Materials Engineer for the Utah Road Commission. John left to take a job logging core samples at various proposed missile sites in North Dakota and Missouri. While checking on phosphate leases in Cheyenne, John went into the State Engineer’s office and was hired as an Assistant State Engineer. He moved his family back to Cokeville when a division water superintendent position opened. He worked for 30 years in this position. He served on the Bear River Commission, Cokeville Water Shed Improvement District, Cokeville Development Company and Bear River Advisory Board.
In Cokeville the family built a home and raised 9 children (two girls and seven boys). With John’s travels, he needed a bunch of boys to take care of his ranching interests.
John was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with a lifetime of service and commitment. As a senior couple John and Dorothy served in the Washington D.C. visitors center and as temple workers in the Logan Temple. He was known for his kindness and honesty.
He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Herman, Robert, and Hamilton Teichert and sister Laurie Eastwood, and his daughter Patricia (Patty) and daughter-in-law Jan Teichert.
John is survived by his wife Dorothy and children Matthew (Chris), Ann (Val) Garn, Mark (Christine), Michael (Valerie), Melvin, Tim (Renae), Jonathan (Tryny), D.J. (Cindy), 44 grandchildren and 57 great-grandchildren, his sister-in-law Buhla Teichert and brother-in-law Charles Eastwood.
Funeral services will be held March 16, 2019, in Cokeville at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building at 11:30 a.m. A viewing will be held prior to the service at the church beginning at 9:30 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the missionary fund or your favorite charity. John’s family would like to thank all those who helped with his care.
