Lee Zion

William "Lee" Zion was born May 9, 1922 to Peter Lee Zion and Sophronia Jane Wilkinson Zion in Flagstaff, Arizona. Two things from his childhood that had a profound impact on him were growing up in the Great Depression and being run over by a train when he was almost nine, leading to the loss of his lower leg. Despite Lee's desire to serve his country during WWII, his amputated leg prevented him from being allowed to join the armed forces. He didn't let it slow him down. He hiked mountain peaks working as a lookout for forest fires and rode a Harley Davidson.



Lee found the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a young adult. In 1951, he embarked on a 2 1/2 year mission in the Northern States Mission, serving in Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa. He loved the Lord and remained fully devoted to the gospel until the end.



He worked his own way through college, studying sculpting with Avard Fairbanks at the University of Utah, earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts in August 1961. After a whirlwind romance, Lee was married at the age of 39 to Anna Bennett in the Salt Lake City Temple on December 6, 1961. They were married 55 years. He raised his family in Chloride and then Kingman, Arizona, working as a guard at the Duval copper mine.



In his later years in Sunset, Utah, Lee enjoyed singing with the Promise Choir, listening to classical music, watching documentaries and shopping garage sales.



Lee passed away peacefully in his sleep October 15, 2017 at the age of 95. He is preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Roy Zion, Grover Zion, Halley Watson, and his sisters Eva Black and Ethel Musick. He is survived by his wife Anna and his children, Peter, Denise, Janet, Levi, Ammon and Jonathan, as well as ten grandchildren.



Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, October 20, 2017 at the Sunset LDS 4th Ward, 220 West 975 North, Sunset, Utah. There will be a viewing from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. prior to services at the church. Interment will be in the Clinton City Cemetery.