Legrand Baker

LeGrand Liston Baker, 80, of Orem, passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 2, 2018, following a brief illness.

LeGrand was born November 2, 1937, on his grandfather’s ranch in Boulder, Utah; then grew up on a small farm in Utah Valley. He attended Spanish Fork and Lincoln high schools.  After graduating from Brigham Young University in 1963, he received a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in American History in 1972—concentrating on the period of the American Revolution and the writing of the Constitution. LeGrand was Curator of the Wells Freedom Archives and Adjunct Professor of History at BYU, teaching American Constitutional History from 1974 to 2004.

LeGrand was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout his life. In addition to serving a full-time mission for the Church in England, he fulfilled many other assignments, but his favorite was teaching Gospel Doctrine in Sunday School, which he did for more than three decades, cumulatively. He taught LDS Institute and BYU Education Week classes, as well as multiple religion classes at BYU, where he especially enjoyed teaching about the Book of Mormon. LeGrand was a dedicated and published student of the gospel. His articles have appeared in The Improvement Era and the Ensign. He is the author of Murder of the Mormon Prophet: Political Prelude to the Death of Joseph Smith (2006); Joseph and Moroni: The 7 Principles Moroni Taught Joseph Smith (2007); coauthor of Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord? The Psalms in Israel’ s Temple Worship in the Old Testament and in the Book of Mormon (2010).

LeGrand loved his family and friends deeply. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn (Larsen) and their four children; Dawn Frandsen (Michael), Brian Baker (Jenny), Tonya Miller (Dylan), and Jason Baker (Elizabeth ), and 16 grandchildren, along with siblings Glenona (Mark) Hoover, Loyal (Ruthanne) Baker, and L.Glen (Leslie) Baker. He was preceded in death by his parents Glen and Crystal Brown Baker, and brothers, LaRell and LeEarl.

Services will be held Saturday, August 11, in the LDS Meetinghouse located at 135 E 2000 S Orem, Utah, beginning at 1:00 pm. Viewings will also take place Friday evening August 10, from 5:00 to 7:00 at Sundberg-Olpin Funeral Home at 495 South State St. Orem, Ut and at 12:00 August 11 in the LDS Meetinghouse, one hour prior to the funeral service. Condolences may be sent to the family on this page.