Thomas F Carlile passed away at his daughter Laurel's home on February 13th 2025 at the age of 96. Dad was afforded a long life and he lived it fully, with a twinkle in his eye. His warm sense of humor and ability to connect with people were not diminished as he passed into the next life. He endured till the end and endured it well, leaving a lasting legacy for all who knew him.

Dad was born on January 29th, 1929, in Heber City, Utah to Fred and Sarah Carlile. He was the 4th of 7 children. He graduated from Wasatch High in 1947 and married Elaine Casper on June 14,1949 in the Salt Lake Temple. Tom's initial profession was that of a teacher. He first taught History and Civics at Wasatch High and then, after moving to Orem, he added English to the subjects he taught. He supplemented his teaching salary by moonlighting on survey crews all along the Wasatch Front. He also ran a tax preparation business with his wife, Elaine. After completing his master's degree in Education from BYU, he moved into administration as a Vice Principal at Orem Jr. High and then Principal at Pleasant Grove High School. It was there that his gifts for inspiring others to do the right thing shone brightly. Whether it was installing lights for the football stadium or building a new library, he was good at bringing together parents, administrators, and business leaders to raise money for projects that benefited students. Tom retired early from his career to take care of his dear wife Elaine as she moved through years of a debilitating illness. It was in this most difficult period that Tom's immense aptitude for solving problems and remaining positive were on display to all who spent time visiting with Tom and Elaine in their home.

People who met Tom could quickly tell that he was in the people business. He loved meeting people, and paid special attention to young people. He had a knack for finding the quiet ones, the invisible and awkward ones, and making them feel seen–most often with a joke, a compliment (a "TL"), a quarter or a friendly question. In his role as Bishop, he focused on the youth, and planned "super activities" to Lake Powell and the Salmon River, where kids could be kids in the great outdoors, and where adults could build up the youth in casual settings that were fun and memorable.

Tom's companionable nature endured after his cherished wife passed away, and he married the vivacious Elaine Busath, thus beginning a new chapter of service. Dad's graceful extrovertism found purpose as he and Elaine B. became tour guides at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. Dad loved helping visitors from all over the world learn more about the Church, and his testimony was implicit in his genial interest in their lives and backgrounds. Dad's gift of gab came in handy as he and Elaine B. accepted volunteer jobs as "greeters" at the MTC. He comforted many an emotional mother with jokes about "a new policy that mothers could come back weekly to do the laundry." Dad could put anyone at ease and diffuse any tension with his well-timed one-liners, which he delivered with full cognitive capacity till his last days.

Some have wondered what made Tom Carlile tick–why he was the way he was, where the indomitable optimism and generosity came from. Few know that Dad had had a profoundly sacred experience when he was lost alone in the Uinta mountains for two days and two nights as an 8-year-old boy. This event motivated him throughout his life, and can be best summarized by the hymnal phrase: "friends on earth, and friends above." Dad knew with certainty from that experience that he was not alone in this life. This was the fuel for the "light" of Tommy Carlile, and he shared the light with all he met for the rest of his days.

Tom is survived by his four children, Stephen (Mary Jo) Carlile, West Valley City; Kathleen Carlile, Orem; Laurel (Robert) Steele, Orem; and Paul (Kimberly) Carlile, Belmont Massachusetts; 15 grandchildren and 40 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Elaine; his three sisters Bernice, Carol and Margaret and three brothers Ralph, Glen and Don; and his granddaughter Whitney Elaine Steele. Elaine passed away nearly 22 years before Tom - and oh, how he was looking forward to being back in the presence of her energy and brilliance.

We would like to thank Dignity Hospice, and McKenna, Jessica, and Evie specifically, for their loving care of our Dad these last several months.

to view the funeral service for Tom online please click here. https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/index.php?data=MTczOTYzNzIwMzM1MDEzMCZvbmVyb29tLWFkbWluJmNvcHlfbGluaw==