DeVerl Stoddard

DeVerl Stoddard was born August 5th, 1939, in Parker Idaho to Blanche Black Stoddard and Marion Leslie Stoddard. He was the second son of six siblings. He grew up in St. Anthony Idaho, and graduated from South Fremont High School.

He served a mission in Virginia and North Carolina, known as the Central Atlantic States mission. His mission changed his life. He further went on to get an associate degree from Ricks College and a Bachelor of Science degree from Utah State University.

While attending Ricks College he met and fell in love with Patty Peterson. They met at a golden green ball in St. Anthony. They were married on June 15th, 1963.

After Utah State he taught at Bonneville High School and the Youth Training Center in St. Anthony. He did all this while working on the farm weeknights and weekends trying to make ends meet. During this time, they started a family and had 5 boys, who would eventually work together with him throughout his life. He had a gift that made it possible for him and all 5 sons to work together. He taught his sons how to work together as a family.

While DeVerl and Patty taught school and farmed, he eventually realized that this combination was not going to take him where he wanted to go. He went back to Utah State and earned his master’s degree in industrial education. This education gave him the ability to step out into other ventures. He started a residential home construction endeavor with his brother Gene in building Heritage Homes. They built 125 homes in the upper snake river valley before and after the flood destroyed many homes.

After engaging in that enterprise, they were the successful bidders on a Maverik Country store in Sugar City, Idaho. This allowed him to move into the commercial building arena. In 1978 he and Patty put their names together to form DePatco, a general contracting company. At this time Maverik Country Stores asked DeVerl to come work with them and oversee the building of their stores. He successfully negotiated an agreement that allowed him to work as a salaried employee half time and work at DePatco the other half. For the next 20 years he built 110 new stores, adding to the existing 30 stores already established. He remodeled new and old stores by installing cabinets, removing and replacing fuel tanks, rebuilding parking lots, and installing street signage. DeVerl wanted to work with his boys and allowed them to be an integral part of DePatco.

His responsibilities required him to travel all over the intermountain west. One night, in a motel room, DeVerl looked at the ceiling, and asked himself, “What are you trying to prove?” the next day he gave them notice that in three months he was going to retire from their company. He came home, and he and his sons and their wives continued growing DePatco into a successful excavation company in east Idaho.

DeVerl had promised the Lord that at 59 he would retire from construction, and he and his wife would go on a mission. They were called to serve in St. Louis, as the office couple for a period of 18 months, after coming home he continued to counsel and mentor his boys as DePatco grew.

In 2011 on Halloween night, at 4:30 pm, DeVerl received a call from the special projects department in Salt Lake. They asked if he and his wife would serve a mission to be the eyes and ears over the construction of a Temple. This service allowed DeVerl to combine his two loves in life, the gospel and construction. They were able to share the gospel and the importance of the temple through firesides and devotionals for the local youth, visitors, and the construction workers. He kept a detailed history of the building of the temple through daily journals and pictures. They served for three years observing the construction of the Payson, Utah Temple.

DeVerl and Patty also served a mission for the Family History department in St. Anthony Idaho. They were blessed with the opportunity to serve as temple workers for 9 years in the Idaho Falls Temple and 3 years in the Rexburg Temple. DeVerl had a love for the temple and he and Patty served faithfully as often as their health would allow up until weeks before his death

As their health declined, they were unable to function as they would like to, they elected to move to The Homestead in Rexburg where they had a very enjoyable association with the caregivers. DeVerl passed away on Feb. 9th, 2025.

DeVerl and Pat were blessed with five sons and five beautiful daughters-in-laws, 27 grandchildren, and one great granddaughter. They currently have two grandsons on missions, one in Edmonton Canada, and one in Portland Oregon.

DeVerl is survived by his wife Patty of 62 years, his five boys, Greg and Tiffnie Stoddard, Jed and Angie Stoddard, Chris and Celeste Stoddard, Daniel and Brooke Stoddard, and Jon and Jordan Stoddard, 27 grandchildren and one great granddaughter. He was preceded in death by two grandchildren, Cade Stoddard and Broc Stoddard.

The family wants to thank all the Homestead caregivers and Hospice nurses who gave Dad the wonderful care he was rendered.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, February 24, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at the Egin Bench LDS Chapel 1633 E. 400 N., St. Anthony. The family will receive friends on Sunday the 23rd from 5:00 until 6:30 p.m. and on Monday from 10:00 until 10:45 a.m. at the church. Burial will be in the Parker Cemetery under the direction of Bert Flamm Mortuary.