Gig has been my sidekick since he was born. We were always together. After I got married he was always there to help out me and my family. We had a lot of fun hunting and fishing together, working on projects and whatever else came up.
Gig was an awesome brother, and his passing hurts my heart. I love you brother and will always miss you.
Lou

Gig was a tease. He was taking photos at Jody’s wedding and for whatever reason, he decided he was going to take a picture of me stuffing my mouth with food. For obvious reasons, I did not want this.
He and I were sitting at the same table, visiting, and he kept trying to get this picture. We were having a good laugh about it, and I just stopped eating until it was safe.
The conversation faded and Gig’s eyes wandered to somebody off in the crowd. I’d shifted my conversation to somebody else, and Gig just stayed at that table so serene and content, arms folded across his body, leaning back as if he were just so comfortable, the camera resting on him in his state of comfort.
The banter about the picture had ended, joking had stopped, so I was good to go. I picked up a delicious bite of something (I think it was a tomato), and dropped that sucker in my mouth, and in that exact moment he snapped the photo.
I thought he’d just gone into content mode, but he hadn’t. He was laying the trap.
He laughed his head off at my wide eyed shock of realization that he’d been playing the long game! He thought it was pretty great. Hell, we both got a good laugh. But he was damn proud of himself. I imagine that picture is floating around somewhere.

My forever memories of Gig will always include his sweet little family and all he did to take care of them!! When Lillian and Gig got married, he was already a hard working man who had built a very good life & home and it was wonderful to watch him make a place for Lillian. She was his soft spot, and naturally the kids too as they came along. He did so much to provide for them and was always ahead of the game. He ran a tight ship, and that will be something that his family will carry on and be there as a guide in their lives for years to come.
All of the pictures and memories of Gig with his boys are so priceless! He loved them so much! I pray for the comfort they need and the confidence to know that Gig is still so close, and will be there to help and guide them through their WHOLE lives. Gig has always been there for others through thick and thin, and that won't change. Now, with his perfect health & the eternal knowledge of his family's (& loved ones) path, the future holds very promising successes. We love you Gig's!

Gig truly was a kindred soul. He was rough on the exterior, but if you really got the chance to know him, you'd have found how wonderful a person he was.

He was always in my life. Telling me stories of his life, making me(and my friends) help him build his fence and surprising us later with popsicles in exchange for our help, watching his tantrums when he found out kids were moving his railroad ties and freeing the gophers that were destroying his yard (whoops!).

I remember how his eyes would light up when you showed interest in ANYTHING he had going on in his world. He was overjoyed when somebody wanted a tour of his garage, and if you were lucky enough to get the tour, you would see all the cool, genius ideas he had made a reality. He was smart, gifted, funny. Overall, just an absolute treasure.

Gig will be greatly missed. I've had many great conversations with him, and he was never one to back down from a debate. Looking forward to debating with you again, Uncle Gig🩷

Uncle Gig was awesome he liked all the things i liked guns, fishing, hunting, collecting coins. He is the one who sold me my first set of coins that got me collecting them. I remember his enthusiasm as he showed me his collection and sold me some. I still have this coins and when I show them to my kids I think of uncle Gig.

I don't have any specific memories with Uncle Gig just always that he was there.
So often, sometimes nightly, you'd see his truck drive up the drive way and to the garage where he and my dad would have a blast doing whatever they would do out there.
Gig came across a little gruff sometimes and made me nervous that I might be the one to tick him off. Lol.
Not once though was Gig unkind to me. I never understood why but he always made a point to say hi to me at events. It meant a lot every time.
I will definitely miss Gig and can't believe he is gone.
Thanks for always making me feel important Gig! Grateful my life had you in it! :)

When Gig was teaching me how to drive, he would slam his hand down on the console and yell stop! I would slam on the brakes and scream! I then would ask him what the heck, He would say ant crossing and laugh! It freaked me out every time, lol 😆

My earliest memory of Gig is from when I was a child, I'm not sure how old I was, maybe 7 or 8.

Dad, Mom and all of the older siblings were going out, maybe to a wedding or something like that, Mom got Gig and Nae Nae to come sit with us while they were gone.

Nae got to be the responsible one and Gig was our entertainer! He had us laughing half of the night with his slapstick humor and comedy.

I never could remember what, exactly, he did that was so hilarious, but we had a great time!

Thanks for this memory and all of the many others brother!

God rest your soul 'til we meet again.
Or come back and teach me sooner rather than later🙏

I appreciate Uncle Gig for being understanding when we would come to visit and for putting up with our "troop of baboons".
He would go from having one kid to thirteen all in one place.
One time when we were sledding, we made a chain, and I think we broke Ronie.
We were quite the bunch, but he let us come anyway.

Gig was a good photographer. When I got married, he took our line pictures and many other special pictures. I have a picture of me in my wedding dress dancing with Dad in his "monkey suit"! Dad never wore tuxedos, but he did for me at my wedding. Because Gig took the time to develop his talent, I have a very special picture with Dad.

One winter, I took my kids up to Silver Creek to go sledding the day kinda got away from us so it was kind of late when we got up there. The kids had a blast with Rone sledding in even though it was pretty dark. Whenever it snows, my kids ask if they can go to Aunt Lillian's to go sledding. They had such a fun time.

Gig and Lillian enjoyed hosting many gatherings and barbecues on their deck. They took good care of Mom when they opened their home and hearts to care for in her last years. I know it wasn't always the easiest for them, but they made a place for her. I'm forever grateful. 💞

Thank you Lillian and Gig for your help over the years. Much love to you both and the boys.
💖 Kat

When I was 14 years old, I wanted to go to the gas station with Gig.
I asked him, he said no
So I hid in his car, behind the front seat on the floor( I was going to scare him)
I waited for awhile, giggling, just thinking about scaring him!
He finally got in the car, and started driving
He made it down the driveway before I could unwedge myself from the seats!
When I finally got loose, he said to himself “ smells like a girl in here”
I jumped up and scared the crap out of him!!!
I laughed and laughed!!
He was not impressed!!!
I jumped in the front seat and we drove to the station together giggling about it
Such a fun memory for me
Love you Gig

I have many memories of Gig. One that came to me was, years back, when Gig had his boat and I was married to Steve. A bunch of family went to Flaming Gorge one summer weekend. Gig took some of us on a boat ride and parked it out on the water in one of the places he liked to let those of us swim. Well, I thought I'd brave it up and give it a try with my life jacket on. Jumping off the side of his boat and into the water, swimming, and having the time of my life. Just then, Gig yells out, "You know there's fish as BIG as you in the water, and sometimes they come up and bite your feet!" I never swam so fast and was back in his boat. He laughed and laughed, then said, "Just kidding, the BIG ones stay down lower!" Needless to say, I haven't swam in lakes since! Love and miss you, Gig ❤️

Gig has been a big part of my life since I was a child. I was four years old the first time I met him. I had no idea, at the time, what a big role he would play in my life.

As a teenager, I spent a lot of time hanging out at his house with his sister Nae. One Saturday, Nae and I decided we wanted to go see the movie, “Grease” that was playing in the theater. We talked to Grandpa Gary and he asked Gig to take us. Gig absolutey did NOT want to take us to that movie. After-all, it was a Saturday and there were many other cool things he would rather do than sit in a chic flic with his sister and her friends. However, he was a good sport and took us anyway because his Dad asked him to. He would have done anything for his Dad.

A couple years later, Gig asked me out on a date. Once again, he took me to a movie. We went to the Center theater in Downtown Salt Lake City to see the movie, “Empire Strikes Back” from the Star Wars trilogy. He was very nice, a lot of fun to hangout with and such a gentleman.

One thing people might not remember about Gig is that he loved photography. He was very good with his 35 mm camera and was the photographer at many weddings. After my first baby, Jeremy, was born, Gig came to my house and did a newborn photo shoot with him. He got some really precious and priceless shots. I could always count on Gig to help me whenever I needed something.

I have many other memories with Gig as well. We had a lot of fun riding motorcycles with him and Lillian. We rode many miles together exploring Moab, Utah, St. George and Southern Utah, Bryce Canyon, Escalante and Yellowstone. Every time we asked him which direction he wanted to go, his answer was always the same, “I don’t care. I just want to ride!”

One of my most precious memories of him was when I got the privilege of being with him and Lillian when their beautiful baby girl Hannah was born way too early. I held her in my hand and watched her take her tiny breaths. I witnessed the heartache Gig and Lillian felt as Hannah passed from this life just a few short minutes after she was born. I saw the tenderness in Gig’s hands as he carried his tiny daughter into the other room to clean her up. I saw Gig’s love, kindness and tenderness towards Lillian as he tried to comfort her broken heart even while his own heart was breaking. Being able to spend this time with them and getting to hold their sweet baby girl helped me to heal from the loss of my own baby which was also born way to early to live.

I got to spend the last couple days of Gig’s life with him, Lillian, their boys and some other wonderful family members. He took on death the way he took on life. He stared it right in the face. He was extremely aware of everything around him throughout the process. He was cracking jokes, sharing memories and even gave Saz one last scolding when she tripped over his oxygen hose which really pulled on his ear. We all got a good laugh over this!
It was an honor and a privilege to be part of this incredible experience as we walked our dear brother to heaven’s door.

I love you, Gig and will miss you very much! Thanks for the good times, the fun, the adventures and all of your help throughout the years. Go with God, My Dear brother!

Where do I begin! For starters I don’t have a single memory growing up when gig wasn’t there. I spent a lot of weekends working on projects with him and my dad, at times you complain and think it sucked but I learned to cherish every moment. Gig was rough on the outside but once he let you in you had a friend for life. I will forever miss him always saying those (damn sons a bitches) in his own way!
We went deer hunting one time and we were talking about shooting big bucks, so I ask him, gig if you shoot a big buck are you going to mount it. He turns, looks at me and says, yep if I can fit his legs in my boots and it don’t run away haha!! We laughed and laughed til I was crying!! Deer camp won’t be the same without that man trying to tell me what to do! Love you gig!!

One time Gig and I think Lou we're cleaning their motorcycles and Gig asked me if I wanted a ride. Even though it was a bit scary looking for how big the motorcycle was at the time, being an adventurous-little kid, I said yes! So Uncle Gig gave me a ride and we went up grandpa's hill and back down and it was so fun!
Side note: I remember he used to have a stuffed fox and pheasant in his big garage and would always try to scare me with it 🤣 It really left an impression with me because to this day, I still expect those things to come alive and jump at me.

Some of the best times and memories were of our hunting and fishing trips with Gig.

We all had lots of fun spending time together. I miss those good times..

I remember the multiple times Gig would come pick me up on his way home from work to take me to his and Aunt Lillian's house. He would let me pick like 3 movies from his wall of movies (he owned A LOT). All three of us would watch as many as we could get through in their awesome downstairs theater room and he would make popcorn from a big popcorn machine that was in the closet behind the couch.

There was this one time Gig came over to our house to hangout with my dad (Les Kelsch). My dad shaved his beard to look like Gig and they were trying to prank us. No one fell for it except my little brother (Steven) who climbed up on Uncle Gig's lap and started talking to him; finally after he looked deep into our uncle's face, he realized it wasn't his dad and started crying.

Everyone has that special something that tastes good to them. Regardless of how weird it may sound.

Gig loved spaghetti with a big scoop of Miracle Whip in it. Whenever he made it, all of us kids would freak out and try not to gag.

It was a 'Gig delicacy' and he loved it.

Gig was a great friend and brother in law. He was always willing to come and help out with projects and repairs both big and small. I loved it when he got involved in any kind of home repair or remodel because he always thought big, had great ideas and could build and fix almost anything.
Gig was fun to hang out with and go tripping with. I have many good memories of camping with Gig, shooting guns, hiking, and hunting. Some of my favorite memories of Gig are of the motorcycle trips we took with him and Lil. Gig always rode “clean up”, making sure everyone ahead was doing okay.
Gig was fun to tease and was always a good sport, even when it involved getting his under shorts sewn shut and his bed “short sheeted”. He loved to laugh and have a good time. A few hours before he passed he was reminiscing about fun memories and giving everyone in the room something to smile about.
Love and miss you already Gig! 💔💔💔

I spent quite a bit of time in Gig and Lillian's home. They cared for and sheltered my Mom for several years . I had great conversations with him about the Gospel. He told me Uncle Lew was often giving him promptings and guidance. He prompted him to seek out Lillian's hand. Look how wonderful that turned out! He was a good man whom I believe will continue helping and 'fixing' things from his new home! Love you Gig! Thanks for all you have done!
Love you Dear Sister and your sweet boys!

When I was 14 years old, I wanted to go to the gas station with Gig.
I asked him, he said no
So I hid in his car, behind the front seat on the floor( I was going to scare him)
I waited for awhile, giggling, just thinking about scaring him!
He finally got in the car, and started driving
He made it down the driveway before I could unwedge myself from the seats!
When I finally got loose, he said to himself “ smells like a girl in here”
I jumped up and scared the crap out of him!!!
I laughed and laughed!!
He was not impressed!!!
I jumped in the front seat and we drove to the station together giggling about it
Such a fun memory for me
Love you Gig

Gig was an encyclopedia of knowledge. From electrical to plumbing to fishing. Just about everything. He helped me fix my boat numerous times and helped me put solar panels on my trailer.. He was always willing to help you out. He'd take time out of his day to help fix anything. He had a big heart and a lot of wisdom.

When I was little and would see him coming home from work. I would stand at the top of the stairs and get so excited!. And call out Dugan.

Ed and I went to stay at Gig's house for 2 weeks when Brendon was a baby. I told Gig that my baby must love it at his house cuz he was sleeping through the night. Gig was actually getting up with him and rocking him when he would wake up. He was always cute with the littles. We love him forever and we love you Lillian, Rone and Lucian...

A lot of people don't know this, but when Steve passed away, Gig would buy Aubrey birthday and Christmas presents.

As Crystal and I added more kids to our family, Gig and Lillian continued doing it for all of them.

He had a tender heart and was compassionate in his own way.

When I went to see him right before he passed, I told him that I love him and thanked him for being there for me and my family. He turned to me and said, No, thank you, I love you.

I will miss him.

Lillian, I love you, Rone and Lucian. I pray that God will continue to bless and comfort you. Not just now, but forever.