Herbert Irvin Mote's Obituary
Herbert Irvin Mote passed away early Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, in Provo, UT. He was born in LaJolla, CA, Nov. 8, 1930, to Dora May Stone Mote and Hugh Barnhill Mote. The family moved to Oregon when he was 3, and he lived in Grants Pass, OR, until after high school.
Growing up, Herb enjoyed riding horses on his grandfather Stone’s farm. He tells the story of being put on a horse with his two sisters, one a year older and the other 13 months younger. He was put on the back to keep his younger sister from falling off, but he slid backwards off the horse and grabbed the tail, hanging on until the horse stopped. (Luckily he wasn’t kicked).
Growing up he also enjoyed swimming in a swimming hole on the Rogue River – swinging on vines and dropping into the river. He also tried diving from the railroad bridge 16 feet above into the river and barely saved himself from hitting the bottom head first by putting his arms up to protect himself.
Herb loved fishing with his dad for steelhead trout and playing on the school football team. His dad also taught him to work hard. He recalls a time when he was working on a building with his dad and Herb had a board to saw and sat down on the sawhorse.”My dad came up: ‘You don’t sit down on the job!’ I never forgot that.”
He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after he graduated from high school. He was doing carpentry work with his dad and his work partner invited him to play softball. He later discovered it was an LDS team. Eventually he started attending Mutual, then Sunday School and finally sacrament meeting. Finally the missionaries came to give them lessons and he and his sister Eva were baptized.
A year from that Fall, Herb was doing carpentry work with his dad building a school in Lakeview (200 miles from Grants Pass) when his sister called to tell him an army recruiting officer came by the house to say he could either enlist that week or be drafted the next. So, he enlisted. They told him he could choose a department but instead they trained him first as a mortar man, then in infiltration and village fighting. When he arrived in Korea, however, “they assigned us to different companies and when it came my turn, they said, ‘You’re a medic.’ I didn’t even know what a medic was!”
As a medic, there were several close calls. One time, “There was sand, a creek, and tall grass. I was going along and some bullets were singing over my head. I just sat down. Dropped down like that. I waited, and there was no more fire, so I got up and left. Probably they figured they’d got me.
Luckily for Herb, when he wore out his combat boots and went in to pick up his second pair, they had been given to another soldier. His feet were triple “E” width, so they had no more to fit him. That was when he was sent to be the cook’s assistant. As time went on, he became a good cook and was made a sergeant in the officers’ mess hall. Since medics live short lives, he was definitely blessed. He spent four years in Korea before coming home.
When he got home, he enrolled in college at Brigham Young University. The rest of his life he was an avid BYU sports fan.
He and Charline Bliss began dating at BYU and were married in the Idaho Falls temple on June 10 1955. They were later divorced. Herb worked many jobs to support his wife and four daughters while he was attending school, often doing carpentry work as he was trained by his father. He also worked supervising boys recreation at the juvenile detention center in Provo. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, he took a job as a social caseworker in Price, UT. Later he returned to school full time (while also working a full caseload) and received his Master’s degree in 1961.
The family moved to Salt Lake City that year so Herb could take a job as a counselor in vocational rehabilitation. He continued working for the state until he retired.
Shortly before he retired he married Eileen DeBuck and inherited 5 additional children to love and enjoy the rest of his life. They were later divorced.
After the divorce, he moved to Sunset, UT., to live near his brother George and his family. He lived there until moving to Cove Point in Provo, where he passed away.
While living in Sunset he served in the bishopric of his Church of Jesus Christ ward. He also served as a temple worker for 10 years.
Herb loved people and made friends wherever he went. He was devoted to his kids, grandkids and great grandkids, attending every event possible – plays, concerts, graduations, missionary farewells/homecomings, birthdays, holidays – to support them. He never forgot a birthday or special occasion. We will all miss him!
Herb is survived by his brother, George Mote and his children: Cara Lee Mote (Pete) Haraden, Cyndy Mote (Jim) Obray, Michele Mote, Lisa Mote (Scott) Jamison, Lori DeBuck (Vaughn) Johnson, Michael DeBuck, Cam (Shauna) DeBuck, Kathy DeBuck, Brenda DeBuck (Joseph) Green; grandchildren Diana (Aaron) Mildenstein, Maria (Serena) Shaffer, David Haraden, Jessica (Cole) Newman, Johnathan (Sameer Bhadouria) Haraden, Daniel (Chelsea) Obray, Elizabeth Obray, Matthew Obray, Kristi (Andrew) Jamison, Amy Jamison, Travis (Lacey) Johnson, Larisa (Philip) Hornberger, Bryce (April) Johnson, Garett (Gloria) Johnson, Jill DeBuck, Cameron (Tailor) DeBuck, Chris Davidson-Timothy (Megan), Spencer Green, Taylor (Madelin) Green, McKay Green and Holland Green; great grandchildren Aubria (Ruby) Harral, Emma, Sam, Patience, Gabe, Hannah and Nate Mildenstein, Kennedee and Olivia Eldredge, Oliver Shaffer, Law, Grey and Ashtyn Newman, James and Rebekah Obray, Maddix, Aaron, Adeline and Avery Johnson, Kelli, Allie, Brigham, Dallin and Archie Hornberger, Eliza and Grace Johnson, Luke Johnson, Juliana, Faith and Kaiko Davidson-Timothy; great great grandchildren Rory, Calvin and Griffin Harral.
The funeral will be Friday, February 24, 2023, at noon at the LDS church at 1120 East 600 North, Orem, Utah. There will be a viewing at the church at 10:30 a.m. and military honors and burial will be at Camp William Monday, February 27, 2023.
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