John Eldred "Derdle" Underwood passed away Sep 6, 2017 at 5:50am as he lay peacefully in bed at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. John had been at UVRMC for the last few days of his life, with his family surrounding him. Though John had been battling lung cancer since February 2017, he said he was not experiencing any pain. His wife was the best nurse he ever had and was always by his side, making sure he was well taken care of.

John was born Dec 31, 1933 to Kenneth Underwood and Virginia Vannosdel in Mammoth, UT. John grew up in Utah and loved hunting and fishing. John joined the United States Army, at the age of 19, and served in the Korean War as an aircraft mechanic. He was stationed in Germany and always maintained fond memories of his time over there. He made many life-long friends during his service and he was well-respected by his fellow soldiers. John married his life-long sweetheart, Kathy Marie Zobell, on Oct 12, 1963 in Ely, Nevada. John and Kathy raised two children, Kelly Ben and Jackie Lynn, residing mainly in Eureka, UT during their children's youth. John and Kathy later moved to Provo for a number of years, residing where the Provo Towne Centre Mall is now. After which, they bought a home in Helper, UT where they lived until John’s cardiologist recommended he move closer to a major hospital. They found a home in Spanish Fork (former Leland area) and have resided there since.

John began working at 14 years old for Union Pacific Railroad until he joined the Army in 1953. After John’s honorable discharge from the Army, he got involved in mining. His mining career included leasing the Chief Mine near Mammoth, UT with his father, working for Grand Canyon Mining while bar tending in Tusayan, AZ in the evenings, working for the Ophir Mine near Ophir, UT, The Dragon Mine, US Energy Mining and the Chief Mine (again) all near Mammoth, UT. John decided he was done with mining and wanted to work as a carpenter. He became a Journeyman Carpenter and started working for LA Young, then WW Clyde and finally Bliss Construction, from which he retired early from health problems.

John was a man with strong ideals and a whole lot of patriotism. He was a good man with high morals, and expected those around him to live up to their morals as well. John would be the first one to tell you if you were doing something wrong, but never in a condescending or rude manner. He made you want to be better. Because John had such strong ideals, he also acted accordingly. John was affiliated with many different organizations including The American Legion, Juab County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue, National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association and the Carpenters Union. He was also one of the original founders of the Firebirds Motorcycle Club. John’s favorite pastimes were fishing, hunting and camping. He loved spending time with his family in the great outdoors, telling stories, teasing and telling jokes (though they weren’t always appropriate), riding horses, catching and training wild mustangs and was an expert yodeler. He also loved word searches and could complete an entire book of them in a matter of a few days. John was also passionate about mountain man rendezvous, participating in black powder rifle shoots and tomahawk throws. He made many friends over the forty years he was involved with rendezvous.

John is survived by his beloved wife, Kathy Marie Zobell; his son, Kelly (Shelly) Underwood; his daughter, Jackie (Shayne) Wagstaff; his five grandsons, Brett (Stephanie) Wagstaff, Cory (Aubrey) Wagstaff, Tyler Underwood, Trenton Underwood and Austin Wagstaff; his granddaughter, Alicia (Don Strickland) Underwood; eight great grandchildren Shayne, Jacqueline and Makynlee (Brett), Tashlyn and Ashton (Alicia), Kaesia and Archer (Cory) and Saige (Tyler); his brother, Adren (Vicki) Underwood, and his three sisters, Fawn (Robert “Bob") Fife, Carol (Paul) Ainge, and Tamara (Richard “Dick”) Henderson. He was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Virginia Underwood; his two brothers, Vance (Pat) Underwood and Jim (Virginia) Underwood, his sister Peggy Underwood and three brothers-in-law: Bob, Paul and Dick.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday September 14, 2017 at the Benjamin 2nd Ward, 3238 W 7300 S Spanish Fork. There will be a visitation on Wednesday, September 13th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the church and on Thursday from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. prior to services. Interment will be in the Spanish Fork Cemetery.

In lieu of donating flowers to the family, please consider a financial donation to John’s spouse, Kathy, to help cover medical expenses. Donations can be paid to Legacy Funeral Home, 3595 N Main St, Spanish Fork, UT 84660.

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