Orin Black

Funeral Recording

Our much-loved father, grandfather, brother, and friend, Orin Brent Black, 84, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, surrounded by his children.
Brent was born on May 23, 1937, to Orin Porter and Vanice Beck Black. He spent happy boyhood years in Draper and Murray.  In Murray, he grew up on the same street with, and eventually married, Sally Nielsen Black on July 22, 1960, in the Salt Lake Temple. Brent and Sally were inseparable and enjoyed 39 very happy years together prior to her passing in 1999. Brent’s love for Sally was as constant following her death as it was while they were together. Their reunion, after an extended separation, is undoubtedly joyous!
Brent was first, last, and always a people person. He was drawn to people of all kinds and backgrounds, and they were drawn to him. With his trademark warmth and humor, he had a unique ability to make all who crossed his path sense that they were among his very best friends – because they were. He was a trusted confidante and listening ear to countless family members, friends, colleagues, and neighbors.
Brent’s interests and talents were multiple and varied. Master chef. Avid sports fan. Theater aficionado. Expert horticulturist. Gifted interior designer. Agile pianist and organist (usually without sheet music). Part-time florist. Gospel scholar. He made it all look easy.
Brent graduated from the University of Utah, where he was a cheerleader and received a degree in French.  He went on to receive his doctorate degree in dentistry from the University of Southern California. He practiced dentistry for over four decades – most of that in Holladay with his two brothers. He loved his patients and their families. In his dental chair, the treatment for Dr. Black’s captive audience usually consisted of two parts joke-of-the-day, and one part filling or crown.
Brent’s faith in Jesus Christ was deep and unwavering. He welcomed many opportunities to serve in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including as a full-time missionary in France, bishop, stake president, and Area Authority Seventy. But he was never happier serving than as a Sunday School teacher to the teenage youth in his ward well into his 80s.
Brent was a remarkable father, grandpa, and great-grandpa. Many of his friends and book club buddies sampled his culinary creations, but his finest was reserved for Sunday family dinners or Christmas breakfast at Grandpa’s house. Whether at school musicals, piano recitals, or sporting events, Gramps always had the heartiest laugh, the loudest applause, or, occasionally, the most boisterous “suggestions” for referees. He was a fixture at Ute football and basketball games, and it was a family affair.
Brent is survived by his children, Kenneth Brent (Julie), Michelle Black Beard, and Julie Black Petersen (David); his grandchildren: Sarah Hill (Jordan), Katie, and Jeffrey Black; R.J., Nicholas (Whitney), and Alex Beard; and Joshua, Anna, Samuel, and William Petersen; two great-grandchildren, Andrew and Zachary Hill; siblings and siblings-in-law, Brent Horton, Lee and Marlene Rasmussen, David and Phyllis Sperry, Jan Black, Jerry and Debbie Black, Walt and Janet Brooks, Carl and Anne Erickson, Dale and Claranne Duke; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Sally, as well as his parents, parents-in-law, siblings Randy Black and Mareid Horton, and sister-in-law, Jean Duke.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, February 5, at 1:00 p.m., at the Salt Lake Brighton Stake Center, 2895 East Creek Road, Sandy.  A viewing will be held on Friday, February 4, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Brighton Stake Center and again on Saturday, February 5, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. prior to the services.  Interment will be at Mountain View Memorial Estates.
The family expresses its gratitude for the compassionate care given to Brent by remarkable medical professionals, staff, and caregivers at Intermountain Medical Center and in Brent’s home.