Sanford Dewitt Flake
Sanford (Sank) Dewitt Flake was born on Feb. 27, 1933, in Snowflake. He is the son of S. Eugene and Lillian Dewitt Flake. He passed away on Dec. 11, 2019, in Snowflake.
A viewing will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 19, in his barn, located at 201 N. 1st E. St. in Snowflake. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 20, at the Main Street Chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located at 48 N. Main St. in Snowflake, with an additional viewing one hour prior. Burial will follow at the R.V. “Mike” Ramsay Memorial Cemetery.
As a child he was rambunctious and full of energy but regardless, his mother made him believe that “the sun rose and set in him.” In his teen years his parents were called to serve as mission president of the Southwest Indian Mission, where they served for three years. During this time Sank was able to make many friends and gain a special relationship with LDS President Spencer W. Kimball.
He graduated from Snowflake High School in 1952. He participated and excelled in football, basketball, track and weightlifting. He served a mission in the North Central States Mission from 1953-1955. Upon his return he met the beautiful Louise Baker who was teaching at Snowflake High School. People say they watched their courtship take place on stage through plays and melodramas. They were sealed Feb. 3, 1956, in the Mesa Arizona Temple and this is where their extraordinary life together began.
One month after they were married, Sank was drafted into the Navy as an airman. After he was released from active duty in 1957, he attended and graduated from the Phoenix Police Academy in 1959. This led him to his life-long career in law enforcement where he served as the marshal for the Town of Snowflake and chief of police for the towns of Snowflake and Taylor. He and Louise served an LDS mission in the New Zealand Auckland Mission. He has always had a deep love for the Polynesian people.
Sank lived life to the fullest as was evidenced by his many adventures throughout his life. He was a man of many talents and was very musically inclined. He loved playing the guitar and singing with his daughter, Tawna, while she played the violin. They played at many local events and contests. During many family gatherings they would pull out their instruments and this began a tradition of music within the family.
Some of Sank’s many adventures include singing with Roy Rogers, participating in the Pony Express reenactment, hunting in Alaska and racing horses. He spent many years as a wrangler on trail rides. He was a self-taught artist and sculptor. His artwork and musical talents reflected his love for the Savior and his pioneer and western heritage.
Sank was an entrepreneur. He was known as the Justin boot guy and for a while people would come to visit him just to order a pair of boots. He had a Western store that later became the Longhorn Steakhouse. In his later years, he could still be found there almost daily eating at what is now known as Eva’s. We are so grateful for their staff and to the many unknown people who paid for his meals there.
He participated in the pioneer trek reenactment that went from Nauvoo to Salt Lake City, Utah. One of the accomplishments he is most proud of is his ride that went from coast to coast and border to border on his beloved horse, Denver. If you ever came to “The Barn” that he built on his property, and were lucky enough to catch him there, you were probably regaled with this story and could sense the pride he felt in it. Sank’s favorite things included horses, his many dogs, burgers, his close friends and family, but most of all his wife, Louise, who was “the best wife he ever had,” he often stated.
He is survived by his sister, Sherry Evans; children, Nick (Tawna) Posegate, Dallas Flake, Shea Flake, Yvette Flake, and Lilli (Kyle) Hiatt; his 12 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Louise; and his two daughters, Melanie and Tawna.
Owens Livingston Mortuary-Heritage Chapel in Snowflake handled the arrangements.
