Remembering Blaine Michael Yorgason: Celebrated Utah Author Passes Away at 81

SALT LAKE CITY — Noted Utah author Blaine Michael Yorgason passed away on Tuesday at the age of 81 due to complications from dementia.

Yorgason was best known for his captivating storytelling in works such as Charlie’s Monument, The Bishop’s Horse Race  and Windwalker. Over the decades, he authored 88 published works, including numerous short stories, with his last published piece being All That Was Promised, a historical account of the St. George Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, released in 2013.

He loved telling stories, said his daughter, Tami Bestenlehner. He loved taking history and making it into a story.

A graduate of Brigham Young High School, Yorgason earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Brigham Young University BYU. He taught at BYU from 1977 to 1980, following his time in the Church Educational System, and served as a Church missionary in Chicago. He did love to teach. When he taught seminary and at BYU, he thoroughly loved that,” Bestenlehner reflected.

Yorgason is survived by his wife, Kathleen Wagstaff, and their seven children. He frequently collaborated with his brother, Brenton G. Yorgason, another prominent author. Their works included The Bishop’s Horse Race, inspired by a tale about their great-great-grandfather’s bet on a horse race from Sanpete County to the Hotel Utah in Salt Lake City.

The film adaptation of Yorgason’s novel Windwalker, co-written with Ray Goldrup, was directed by Kieth Merrill, an Academy Award winner for his documentary “The Great American Cowboy. The film notably featured Native American languages with subtitles and was set before European contact.

Among Yorgason’s works, Tall Timber, a narrative about his great-grandfather, served as a uniting force for his extended family. One Tattered Angel, another deeply personal story, focuses on the adoption of his daughter’s sibling, who was born with no brain. He had a lot of people who would write to him or talk to him about their own stories. He loved listening to other people’s stories, Bestenlehner noted.

Funeral services for Blaine Yorgason will be private, limited to family and loved ones. He leaves behind seven children, 29 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.

Bestenlehner emphasized that while her father’s literary legacy is significant, it is his teachings, example, and faith that will resonate most within their family. To the very end, that was the most important: his family and his relationship with Jesus Christ.