ST. GEORGE — Following the death of former Washington County Commissioner James Eardley last week, friends and colleagues shared thoughts and memories of working with him while serving on the commission.
They say he leaves behind a legacy of love for his family and community, as well as a foundation of good governance and fiscal responsibility that has paved the way for the county’s overall prosperity.
Eardley, who served on the County Commission from 1999-2015, died at the age of 78 in St. George last Wednesday, Nov. 30. He is survived by Claudia, his wife of 58 years, and their seven children and their families, which include 30 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Eardley lived in St. George since he was 5 years old, after being born in Salt Lake City in 1944 to Paul and Jane Eardley.
“As I reflect on my dad’s life, the things that mattered most to him were his faith, his family, and his community,” Kyle Eardley, one of James’ sons said in a statement to St. George News. “He will be greatly missed by all those who know him,”
A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, James Eardley served as the president of the Oregon Portland Mission from 1989-93. He was 44 at the time he was called by church leaders to fill the role, according to an archived article of the Church News section of the Deseret News. Eardley also served as a stake president, bishop and bishop’s counselor.
Eardley was also a business owner and entrepreneur and helped run a natural gas company with his father in Southern Utah that was eventually sold to AmeriGas. The Deseret News also listed him as having owned a travel company in 1989 at the time of his church call to Oregon.
Before serving on the County Commission, Eardley sat on the St. George City Council where he worked with Gil Almquist who served on the city’s Planning Commission at the time and City Council later on. Almquist laughed as he recalled running against Eardley for a spot on the council and narrowly losing to him.
“I immediately gained respect for someone who had contributed so much to our community, through service organizations he belonged to and then the City Council,” Almquist said. “I lost to him narrowly, but he came to me after the election and was so gracious. And he said, ‘If you’d had another couple of weeks, you’d (have) outworked me and maybe won.’ And we both laughed about that for years.”
Almquist also remarked on Eardley’s frugal nature when it came to the county’s taxpayer funds. It was a sentiment that was universally shared by others who spoke of him.
“Very financially, fiscally responsible, and that taught me a lot,” Almquist said. “We can give a lot of credit to him and others for the savings that they put together to build a new county building and parking garage. So I credit him with a lot of good friendship, a lot of good financial stewardship, and a lot of good citizenship for the community.”
As Eardley went on to the Washington County Commission, Almquist went on to serve on the St. George City Council and eventually County Commission in 2017.
While on the commission, Eardley would serve alongside Commissioners Alan Gardner and Denny Drake.
“I really enjoyed working with Jim,” Gardner said, adding he and Drake had been among those who recruited Eardley to run for the commission following a previous commissioner’s decision not to seek reelection. “I worked with him through all of those years.”
While acting as a county commissioner, Gardner described Eardley as being tough and strict while on the job, yet was also a caring man who was “the life of the party” behind the scenes and known for his dry sense of humor.
Washington County Commissioner Denny Drake; Enrique McArthur, Boy Scout; Washington County Commissioner Alan Gardner; Bevan Killpack, retired district ranger for the Dixie National Forest; Ron Larsen, civil engineer, Southwest Consulting Services, Southern Utah, circa 2013-2014 | Photo courtesy of Dixie National Forest Public Affairs, St. George News
Most of all, though, he called Eardley “a bulldog for the (county’s) budget.” Like Almquist, Gardner praised his late friend’s financial acumen and gave him credit for helping to lay a positive financial foundation for the county, especially during the years of the Great Recession.
“I don’t think many people in the county are aware of all he did to have this county in financial shape,” Gardner said. “He’s the one that was the biggest drive behind that.”
Additionally, Eardley served for a time as the president of the Utah Association of Counties. He also lobbied for Washington County at the Utah Legislature, where Gardner said he earned the respect of many state lawmakers.
Among his fellow commissioners, Eardley earned the nickname of “the Godfather.”
“He was pretty dynamic,” Gardner said. “I think the name was a term of love and appreciation from them more than anything.”
Something Eardley took pride in as a commissioner was maintaining Washington County as the lowest-taxed county in the state, Drake said.
“He was very committed to that,” Drake said. “He was a good man. I don’t think you could have found a better public servant.
Both Gardner and Drake have since left the County Commission. Gardner now lives as a private citizen while Drake currently sits on the Santa Clara City Council.
Others who worked with Eardley while on the commission were former Washington County Attorney Brock Belnap and current Washington County Commission Chair Victor Iverson.
“He was a very caring man who had extraordinarily high integrity,” Belnap said. “You could trust that if he said something, he meant it.”
Belnap also called Eardley forward-thinking and credited him with helping prepare the way for future county infrastructure needed for growth.
Apparently, a part of that infrastructure included the introduction of roundabouts, something that a member of Eardley’s family told St. George News they credit the late commissioner with bringing to the county.
While he only served with Eardley for about six months versus the years Drake and Gardner had while on the commission, Iverson said he was grateful to have known and been mentored by the man before he left office.
“Jim Eardley was an incredible county commissioner and steward of the public trust,” Iverson said in a statement. “He loved Washington County and left a legacy of good governance that is continuing to benefit this county. I felt it a real blessing to be mentored by him as a new county commissioner. Jim was highly respected by his fellow county commissioners across this state. Washington County was blessed by his service and it was a blessing to know him.”
Click here for Jim Eardley’s full obituary.
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