M. Richard Wadley Jr.

M. Richard Wadley was born September 3, 1942, in Pleasant Grove, Utah. He was the son of Merlyn and Verla Ball Wadley and the younger brother of Deanna Wadley (Lewis – husband Hal), all of whom preceded him in death.
On April 19, 2025, after a courageous fight, he reunited with his beloved family members.

In his final days at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah, he was lovingly surrounded by his four children—Lisa (Dennis; 4 children), Staci (2 children), Eric (Tanya; 4 children), and Nikki—as well as his son-in-law, daughter-in-law, ex-wife Nancy, and 9 of his 10 grandchildren.

Rich’s love of competition and scholarship was evident from a young age. He excelled in baseball, basketball, and tennis during high school and college while maintaining outstanding academic performance. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in January 1960, serving on active duty until December 1960, followed by seven years in the Army National Guard of Utah before being honorably discharged in December 1967.

He served a two-year LDS mission to the New England states beginning in October 1961, then returned to attend Brigham Young University from 1963 to 1967, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Management, and Marketing. He was awarded a scholarship to the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University, where he earned his MBA in 1968.

While attending BYU, he met and married his first wife, Kathleen Frandsen, in 1965. They were married for 20 years and had three children. Rich’s distinguished career began at Procter & Gamble and included leadership roles at Hallmark, Tambrands, Bongrain, AltaDena Dairy, and T-Chem. He also served as a corporate consultant, an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University, and held several board positions. While serving as Vice President at Tambrands in the mid-1980s, he met Nancy Zwiers, who became his wife in 1991. They were married for 15 years and had one child.

Through the ups and downs of life, Rich remained deeply committed to his family—always reminding us that relationships matter most. And while chapters in life may change, those who loved him—his children and their spouses, grandchildren, and even his former spouses—will always consider ourselves his family.
A graveside service will be held on Thursday 4/24/25 at the Pleasant Grove Cemetery at 11:00am.

Graveside services will be held Thursday, April 24, 2025 at 11:00 am in the Pleasant Grove City Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.olpinmortuary.com.