Clayton Landa

Clayton Lyle Landa, 72, of Sandy, Utah, peacefully passed away on Nov. 24, 2009. Clay was born on Feb. 6, 1937, in Great Falls, the son of the late Steve and Gladys Landa. One of two children, he grew up in Montana, where he enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping and sports. He took on his first job when he was in second grade, delivering groceries, and that strong work ethic was exhibited throughout his life. He worked throughout his years at Great Falls High School, and went on to pay for his entire college education at Montana State University by working a variety of jobs, including playing the saxophone in a dance band. Clay earned a B.S. degree in General Engineering at Montana State University in 1959. He always looked back fondly on his college years. He loved to laugh about all the fun times he had with his Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) brothers. Most importantly, it was during his college years at Montana State University that he met his wife, the former Donna Mathews. Clay and Donna were blessed to be able to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary earlier this year. After college, Clay joined the U.S. Army, where he served as 1st lieutenant in the Ordnance Corps, serving in Army bases at Aberdeen, Md.; Huntsville, Ala.; and White Sands, N.M. Upon leaving the service, Clay went on to work for Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. in California. After ten years in the aerospace and computer industries, he and his family returned to Clay's beloved Montana in 1971, where he started his career in mining. He had a long and illustrious 29-year career in the mining industry, managing operations in copper, open-pit coal, uranium and gold mines in Montana, Peru, Wyoming and Utah. In 2000, Clay retired as the general manager and vice president at the Barrick Mercur Gold Mine in Tooele, Utah. While with Barrick Mercur, he served as president of the Utah Mining Association in 1997. Family was first and foremost in Clay's life. There was no greater pleasure for him than to spend time with Donna and their children and grandchildren. Whether it was going on fishing or camping trips or taking RV trips across the country, as long as he was surrounded by family, Clay was happy. He demonstrated a strong passion for living and, to the very end, displayed unwavering honor, integrity and love for his family. In addition to his wife, Donna, Clay is survived by his sister, Shirley Knight of Fort Worth, Texas; his four children, daughter Terri Williams and son-in-law Jim of Charlotte, N.C., daughter Kristy Landa of Sandy, Utah, son Dr. Martin Landa and daughter-in-law Jodi of Green Bay, Wis., and son Dr. Michael Landa and daughter-in-law Dr. Elizabeth Landa of Savannah, Ga.; and six grandchildren, Neil, Natalie, Sarah, Alex, Michael and Eileen. The family wishes to express its deep appreciation for the professional and compassionate care Clay received from Dr. Wallace Akerly and his staff at the Huntsman Cancer Institute while Clay battled melanoma. The comfort and support provided by Jay Johnson and her colleagues at Rocky Mountain Hospice were invaluable to the family during the end of his illness. A memorial service will be held in Bozeman next summer. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Huntsman Cancer Institute, 500 Huntsman Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108; or to the Humane Society of Utah, 4242 S. 300 W., Murray, UT 84157.