John Robert Corak

Our beloved dad, grandpa, great grandpa and friend had his long-awaited reunion with his sweetheart Leah on August 16, 2025 after 23 years apart.

John Robert Corak was born May 2, 1939, to John and Eva Newbold Corak of Midvale, Utah. Married and sealed for eternity to Leah Martha Withers on August 24, 1962, in the Manti Utah LDS Temple. Together they established a home and raised their two daughters, Tracy and Shannon, in Riverton, Utah.

John lived a life of service. He served in the Great Lakes Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints where he taught people in Ohio and Michigan. John became a firefighter in 1965 and served for over 30 years before retiring as Salt Lake County Fire Deputy Chief in 1996. John remained an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and served faithfully in numerous callings throughout his life, always going above and beyond especially as a home teacher where he took extra care of the families he was assigned. After Leah passed away in 2002, John served in the Jordan River Temple and as a service missionary at the Bishops’ Storehouse in Sandy, Utah for several years.

John loved the outdoors. He spent years hunting, fishing, camping and ATVing with family and friends. He was a runner before running was “cool” and could be seen jogging with a big stick in his hand early most mornings. After his pacemaker was mistakenly placed on the left side of his chest and he had to learn how to shoot right-handed, hunting became more difficult, so he turned his focus to fly fishing. John grew up fly fishing and tying flies but became a student of the art learning everything he could from videos, books and other fishermen. He spent as much time as possible fishing rivers in Utah and Wyoming with hand tied flies from his collection. When he was no longer able to be on the river, John continued to tie flies almost daily, leaving thousands of new flies in meticulously labeled containers.

John’s family was his greatest joy. He loved when everyone was together and created reasons to gather. Yearly camping trips, 4-wheeler days in the West Desert, epic Easter egg hunts, Dutch oven dinners on the patio, dinners out, all-inclusive family vacations and weekend BBQ’s, John wanted all of us to know how important we were to him. He had the magic touch when it came to calming babies and spent hours walking fussy grandchildren and great grandchildren or rocking them to sleep. John’s biggest concern the last few months of his life was that his family was going to be ok.

John is survived by his daughters: Tracy (Bart) Fullmer, and Shannon Prows; grandchildren: Kylee (Jeff) Mack, Zachary (Shana) Fullmer, Jessica Prows and Hudson Prows; great-grandchildren: Jackson, Grayson, and Olivia Fullmer, Dekker and Ripken Mack, Stetson and Brooke Prows; sister Marlene (J.W.) Henderson. Preceded in death by his parents; wife, Leah Withers Corak; and sisters, Barbara Sadler and Karen Corak.

In lieu of flowers, donate to one of John’s favorite charities: The American Red Cross, Shriners Children’s Hospital, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, or a charity of your choice.

Our family sends a heartfelt thank you to Copper Creek Senior Living and Canyons Hospice for their loving care of John over the last few months.

Graveside services will be held Saturday, August 23 at 10:00 AM at Riverton City Cemetery, 1500 W 13200 S, Riverton, Utah. Memorial Services under the direction of Goff Mortuary.