OGDEN -- The epitaph of the London architect Sir Christopher Wren included the phrase "if you seek his monument, look around you." If one wishes to see the monument of architect Keith Wilson Wilcox, one just has to look around the Top of Utah.
Wilcox died Friday at the age of 90. His contributions to the Ogden area include architecture, community service and various positions in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"He had the ability to attract success wherever he went," said E. Lamar Buckner, a personal friend of Wilcox. "He has excelled in every calling that's come to him. He's never compromised for the mediocre and the mundane."
Buckner described Wilcox as an extremely friendly person with a good sense of humor, who went out of his way to serve others.
"He has been a close friend and a dedicated community leader that I admire," Buckner said.
Wilcox was born in Hyrum on May 15, 1921. He graduated from Ogden High School and Weber College, where he led a drive to establish an art department.
He went on to graduate from the University of Utah in 1943 with a degree in mechanical engineering, followed by service in World War II as an engineering officer and chaplain in the U.S. Navy.
After the war, Wilcox began working in architecture, earning a master of architecture degree from the University of Oregon.
Through his work as an architect, he designed part of the Missionary Training Center in Provo and the Ogden Federal Building, along with a hospital, churches and schools in the Intermountain West.
But perhaps his biggest project was designing the LDS Temple in Washington, D.C.
His alma mater also benefited from his experience. He helped plan the first campus of Weber State University, which included the original student union building and Val A. Browning Center for the Performing Arts. Along with designing some of the buildings, he was active in the school's alumni association.
"He was a very open and very kind individual that the university owes much to," former Weber State University Vice President of College Relations Dean Hurst said.
The dedication he exhibited in architecture he also shared with his church, serving as bishop, stake president and regional representative for the LDS Church.He also served as the mission president of the Indiana Indianapolis Mission, Ogden temple president and a member of the First and Second Quorums of the Seventy, as well as director of the Los Angeles Temple Visitors' Center.
His list of community accomplishments and memberships in service organizations, such as the Kiwanis, Rotary Club, Sons of Utah Pioneers and a stint in the Utah House of Representatives, is extensive.
"He was truly a man for all seasons," Hurst said. "He was artistic. He was politically involved, very involved in the church as stake president."
His friends say his most successful accomplishment was his relationship with his wife of 66 years, Viva May Wilcox. Together, the couple raised six daughters and have 20 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
Viva May said she does not know how her husband managed to accomplish all he did.
"I wish I could tell you," Viva May said. "We've been discussing that all day."
The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Kingston Ward Chapel, 1425 Kingston Drive, Ogden.
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