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All the United States Utah West Valley City Gravesite of Utah's First Jedi Priest

Gravesite of Utah's First Jedi Priest

"May the force be with you always."

West Valley City, Utah

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Bee Butcher
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Head Stone of the First Ordained Jedi in Utah   BB79 / Atlas Obscura User
Head Stone of the First Ordained Jedi in Utah   BB79 / Atlas Obscura User
May the force be with you!!   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  WhiskeyBristles / Atlas Obscura User
“MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU ALWAYS”   BB79 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

In the sleepy little Valley View Memorial Park there is a treasure that is the first of its kind in Utah. There hidden in the southwest corner of the cemetery is an onyx-colored plaque in the ground that is hard to ignore. It reads Steven Allan Ford April 7, 1980-September 7, 2010—"MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU ALWAYS."

This is not a gravesite of some overzealous fan, as it would seem, but indeed the resting place of someone remarkable: Steven Ford, the first ordained Jedi priest in the predominantly Mormon state of Utah.

A licensed minister of the Temple of the Jedi Order, Steve officiated over the first wedding performed by a Jedi Minister on September 5, 2008, when his brother Andrew Ford was married to Candis Forbes. The wedding appeared traditional to the regular bystander, with only one telltale sign: the lightsaber hanging from Steven's hip.

Steven loved Star Wars and it had such an impact on is life that he began practicing Jediism in his later high school years. A little-known fact is that the Jedi religion is a mixture of Taoism and Buddhism. Steve was a natural peacemaker and these concepts appealed to his nature. 

Sadly, tragedy struck when Steve fell ill of a broken heart. Jedi Reverend Steven Allan Ford took his own life on September 7, 2010. This left a disturbance in the force of his loved ones ever since. 

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Gravestones Cemeteries Star Wars Graves

Know Before You Go

Can be accessed by UTA bus (www.rideuta.com)Valley View Memorial Park and Funeral Home4335 West 4100 South, West Valley City, UT 84120 If you are taking a car or taxi it can be found by driving the 215 and exiting on 4100 S. Drive West until you pass 4000 W. It will be about three-quarters of a block away. If you reach 4400 W. then you have gone too far. Park by Lilac sign. Free app Billion Graves shows you exactly where gravestone is.Please be respectful and call the Valley View Memorial Park and Funeral Home for visiting hours.Ph. 801-969-1081

Community Contributors

Added By

BB79

Edited By

reycath, JennyBenny, WhiskeyBristles, Collector of Experiences...

  • reycath
  • JennyBenny
  • WhiskeyBristles
  • Collector of Experiences
  • Jason Michael Walker

Published

August 28, 2016

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  • http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=4189573
  • https://www.templeofthejediorder.org/
Gravesite of Utah's First Jedi Priest
4335 4100 S
West Valley City, Utah
United States
40.681622, -111.994579
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Photo of Utah

Utah

United States

Places 155
Stories 29

Nearby Places

USPS Remote Encoding Facility

Salt Lake City, Utah

miles away

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miles away

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Utah

Utah

United States

Places 155
Stories 29

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