John Edwin ‘Eddy’ Thatcher

01 Mar John Edwin ‘Eddy’ Thatcher

Eddy came into the world like a rocket as the first son and fifth child of Roy Edwin and Ann Louise Clark Thatcher on February 1, 1962, and departed it suddenly when his heart stopped on February 27, 2024.  Ed was a proud resident of the Rose Park neighborhood in Salt Lake City, Utah.  He attended Rose Park Elementary, Northwest Intermediate, and West High School.  

Ed had a lifelong love of fast cars, loud music, good friends, and the Raiders. During his youth he was the life of the party and lived life fast and hard.  On more than one occasion, borrowing the cars of his siblings and parents without asking permission. He turned his passion for hard living around in 1989, devoted countless hours helping others in recovery, and spent many years volunteering with recovering addicts at the Utah State Prison and the Salt Lake County Jail. 

He was a person of many interests.  He was never afraid to try new things, including taking tap lessons. He worked for many years at General Office Supply, before opening his own carpet cleaning company.  Ed was always interested in family history and genetics. Once retired, he took on the role of family archivist and would send the family updates about the interesting historical figures in our ancestry. 

Ed met the love of his life Linda Lemoine and her son Bryan in 1994. Ed and Bryan quickly formed a strong bond and were thick as thieves.  They spent every April Fool’s Day conspiring and pulling pranks on Linda (and then each of them calling her to tell her what the other had in store for her).  Ed took on the role of loving father to Bryan and never looked back. He was fiercely proud of Bryan, supported him unconditionally and loved him deeply.  

His greatest joy in life was being a grandpa, doting on and adoring his grandsons. He looked forward to spending time with them whenever he could, travelling to wherever Bryan happened to be living with the Navy whenever possible. Ed made sure to be present for his grandkids when they were born, at all the big moments, and loved driving them around when they were babies to get them to sleep. 

Above all else, Ed cared deeply for his family.  His siblings were always his best friends, so much so that he purchased the house next to his sister to be close to her. He was a devoted uncle to his nieces and nephews and formed close relationships with them. He loved his cousins and maintained friendships with many of them throughout his life. He loved animals, but most especially his cat, Cati. 

Ed was opinionated, stubborn, a passionate democrat, and always looked out for the underdog. Under the hard exterior shell, he was one of the most caring and compassionate people you would ever have the honor of meeting. His intelligence and thoughtfulness were second to none. 

Ed is survived by his loving wife Linda Thatcher, his son Bryan Lemoine, grandsons Anthony and Aden, sisters Lou ann (Scott) Hill and Lynn (Kevin) Johnson, brother Lee (Julie) Thatcher, 9 nieces and nephews, many cousins, friends, and his cat. He was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Lila and Louise, beloved brother-in-law Frank and nephew Roy.

A memorial visitation service will be held in his honor on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, from 6-8 PM at the City View Mortuary, 1001 E 11^th Avenue, Salt Lake City, Utah 84103.  All who knew and loved him are welcome.