Don Carlos Adams

Our father and grandfather, Don Carlos Adams of American Fork, Utah, passed away at age 94 on July 31, 2026. He left a unique legacy of service, sacrificing thousands of hours of time and mechanical genius for those in need. He showered his love in nuts and bolts.

Carlos was born to Daniel Stanley and Linda Kartchner Adams on January 25, 1932, in Grantsville, Utah, during the thick of the Great Depression. He enjoyed a wonderful childhood in Sandy and Ferron, Utah; Blythe, California, and Bonners Ferry, Idaho - milking cows, whistling, eating cherries, and keeping bees.

From an early age Carlos had a mechanical mind. He loved taking things apart and putting them back together. He developed an interest in auto mechanics by crawling underneath the family car with the repairman and watching him work. By ninth grade he was repairing the car himself. He had an instinct for how things worked, and with hard work and dedication he gracefully transitioned from the steel age to the atomic age and into the space age. If he ever found himself in a scrape, he would analyze the problem and say, "I think I can handle this."

In 1953 Carlos was called to serve in the Spanish American Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was set apart as a missionary by his future father‑in‑law, Elder Bruce R. McConkie. His mission changed his life.

Carlos was fiercely loyal to the Lord Jesus Christ and developed deep faith through prayer and fasting to draw on the powers of heaven. He loved the restored gospel and the Book of Mormon and used his long commutes to work to become familiar with the New Testament, memorizing large passages. He was a devoted missionary in his youth and continued that work all his days, helping many enter the waters of baptism. His service in the Spanish Branch in Aurora, Illinois, was a highlight of his life and strengthened many families who to this day love and cherish his fellowship. He also loved the temple and served in the Mount Timpanogos Temple for over fifteen years.

Carlos met Vivian McConkie at Brigham Young University in 1957 while working on his undergraduate degree in chemistry. They married the following year and shared sixty‑six years together. Their greatest accomplishment is their family.

He and Vivian have seven children: Julie (Matthew) Maddox, Jeannine (Kent) Savage, David (Marie) Adams, Daniel (LuAnn) Adams, Rebecca (deceased), Ruth (Todd) White, and Mary Summerhays. They have 33 grandchildren and 56 great‑grandchildren.

He loved to play the guitar and would sing to his children at bedtime. Throughout the years he gathered the family to sing folk songs and harmonize together.

Before the computer age, he practiced penmanship and became skilled in calligraphy, often using that talent in promotional signage. He was gifted in numerous areas of technology and science. He applied his expertise as he helped children, grandchildren, and neighbors engineer unbeatable pinewood derby cars. Grandchildren often turned to him when they needed a clever science experiment or to understand the heavens. He wanted his grandchildren and great‑grandchildren to know that math is fun and the Book of Mormon is true.

Carlos devoted countless hours helping family and friends repair their cars and rarely passed a stalled vehicle on the freeway without stopping to assist. On one occasion he towed a drunk policeman out of a ditch. His mechanical aptitude helped many young students and newlyweds who were struggling to stay afloat. At age seventy‑two he pickaxed a trench through his daughter's yard, and at eighty‑two he climbed a twelve‑foot pergola to help complete its construction.

He possessed keen judgment in moments of crisis and responded without hesitation. Steadfast in every season of life, he was a constant source of support. His children ventured confidently into the world, knowing they could call him if ever they were stranded.

Carlos received his doctoral degree in fuels engineering from the University of Utah in 1969. He began his professional career at VR Wesson and later worked for the Institute of Gas Technology and Amoco in Chicago. After retiring in 1987, he developed and patented an innovative oil‑shale recovery technology known as CHESS. His brilliance was evident in his ability to extract oil from shale by reusing thermal energy - a concept he continued to refine throughout his life. He also served as an adjunct professor at both the University of Utah and Brigham Young University.

Their time as a family was consumed by teaching the gospel from one end of the country to the other. After decades of financial, mechanical, and technical support for Vivian's work as a teacher, he and Vivian served a CES mission, teaching religion at the Harvard and Boston College Institutes. It was the culmination of thousands of hours of dedicalted support and service.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Vivian; his daughter, Rebecca; his grandson, Nathaniel White; his parents; and seven siblings. He is survived by his brother, L. Lamar Adams.

We thank the Lord for his life and for his delightful sense of humor, which grew even sharper as he neared the end of his mortal journey. He sought diligently to fulfill his duty and endure faithfully to the end.

The family expresses deep gratitude to his grandson, Samuel Fielding Maddox, for the loving care he provided during Carlos's final seven months.

A viewing will be held on Friday, August 7, 2026, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Anderson Mortuary, 6141 W 11000 N, Highland, Utah.

Funeral services will take place on Saturday, August 8, 2026 at the church building located at 1305 N 100 E, American Fork, Utah. A viewing will begin at 9:30 AM, with the family prayer at 10:30 and the funeral service at 11:00 AM. Interment will follow at the Salt Lake City Cemetery.

To watch the service online, please click here: https://www.youtube.com/live/5xajxm6TbAw?si=AhTuYoope8vGdW3p