Utah sovereign lands program manager remembered as dedicated public servant

RIVERTON — Dave Grierson is remembered by his colleagues at the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands as dedicated, diligent and optimistic.

After battling colon cancer off and on for the past few years, Grierson, the Utah sovereign lands program manager, died Thursday afternoon in his home in Riverton. He was 54.

Dick Buehler, director of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, described Grierson as "approachable and likable" and called him "a great and dedicated public servant."

Grierson oversaw about 1.5 million acres of state lands, with 2,200 miles of shoreline and many beds of rivers and lakes around the state, Buehler said.

One project Grierson had been managing was the application and decision-making process for the proposed bridge across Utah Lake. That responsibility has been turned over to two other members of the division, Randy Kaufman and Ben Bloodworth.

"It's going to take dedication of several staff members to help fill his many responsibilities," Buehler said. "Hopefully, we'll find someone in the long term that has the commitment and abilities that he did."

Grierson started working for the division in 1978 as the Wasatch County fire warden after graduating from Utah State University. He was later named the Lone Peak Conservation Nursery manager and worked with the Lone Peak Fire Center and Department of Corrections. As forest health manager and chairman of the Utah Arbor Day Committee, he helped plant dozens of trees in various communities.

Grierson also helped implement the geographic information system technology in applications for the Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.

"He has always been a voice of wisdom and common sense for our division," said Jennifer Gregerson, who worked with Grierson at the division. "He was highly conscious of laws and policies and protocols and doing things the right way."

Grierson's daughter, Mellissa Chavez, 31, said her father stopped chemotherapy treatments in March and went quickly downhill the past two weeks.

Chavez said she will miss the way he made her laugh and cheered her on.

"He was constantly making jokes and never brought anybody down," she said. "He was always uplifting. To the last little bit, he was comforting us and making us laugh."

Along with being dedicated to his work, Chavez said, her father was dedicated to his family and never missed a sports game, ballet performance or school event. He played the guitar, violin and piano, and was a leader in his Methodist church.

Grierson is survived by his wife, four children and two grandchildren.

Funeral services are being held at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Mountain Vista United Methodist Church, 8931 S. 3200 West, West Jordan.

e-mail: slenz@desnews.com