Richard Lee Myrup's Obituary
Richard Lee Myrup
“I think I could turn and live with the animals…”
Richard L. Myrup died on August 22, 2018, leaving behind a legacy of kindness, wry
humor, intelligence and extraordinary musical talent. Richard was born in Gunnison, UT, on
August 10, 1952, the son of Ray Lee Myrup and Jean Leray Tucker. Life threw Richard a
curveball after graduating from Davis High School in 1970, and he served two years stationed in
Germany with the US Army. He then returned to Utah, graduated from Weber State University
in 1976, and worked with autistic children as a social worker.
His deep mind composed countless songs which were guided by his strong and wise spirit.
His music career began at the tender age of 8 with accordion lessons, and continued as his
passion for the rest of his life. With innate talent, he taught himself the guitar, mandolin, fiddle,
banjo, harmonica, and keyboard. Richard and Mike Gallagher were lifelong friends since their
first year on Earth, and played as the “Sunnyside Two” through middle school and high school.
He was a founding member of, and lead singer for, Back in the Saddle, a progressive country
band that regularly toured the Western states in the mid-1970s and early 1980s. Over the years,
he performed on a solo basis and with a variety of musicians, including a Wasatch Front duo with
David Brimhall and the bands Dan Moody, Driveway, Easter Island, and Alfy Betz and the Salt
Lake Badboys. He was good friends with Doug Miller of the local television program “Doug
Miller’s Outdoor Show”. Doug was insistent that Richard write and play all the music for the
show, and when the time came, the memorial program that aired after Doug’s passing.
Richard also maintained a successful career working for the FAA, where he was
affectionately named “Black Cloud”. He initially was an air traffic controller at the Laramie, WY,
and Ogden, UT, airports. He worked at the Salt Lake City Air Route Traffic Control Center, the
SLC Air Traffic Control Tower, and was later asked to return after retirement as a trainer. His
other interests were wide-ranging and included fishing, camping, skiing, flying, bowling,
motorcycles, philosophy and Buddhism. Some of his heroes included Joseph Campbell, Steve
Hagen, Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, John Stewart, and Gary Oldman. He often reflected on the
poem “Desiderata” by Max Ehrmann.
Richard was an exceptional father who sacrificed his music career to provide for and
protect his daughter. He was a devoted son who loved his parents deeply. Richard was a dear
friend to virtually everyone who knew him. He made us laugh until the very end, always coming
up with some unexpected retort to our sincere conversations.
He is survived by his mother, Jean Myrup; his daughter Jessica and her fiancé Nic; his sister
Debbi Robins and her son Emit and his family; his sister Kim Flint and her husband Adam and
four children, Zach, Caden, Addie, and Maycie; his stepson Mikael Fehlberg and his wife
Rebecca and granddaughter Lela; his Soul-Brothers Scott Lamb and Mike Gallagher; numerous
aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and dear friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Ray
Lee Myrup.
There will be a memorial service Saturday September 1st, 2018 beginning at
3:00pm at Chancellor Gardens, 1425 S. 1500 E., Clearfield, UT. Please join us in celebrating
Richard’s life.
You can experience some of his music at Richardmyrup.com. More will be added as his
extensive discography is digitized.
“Our troubles are over, dude.”
What’s your fondest memory of Richard?
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