'Devoted public servant:' Former Utah County Commissioner Tom Sakievich dies at 72

Former Utah County Commissioner Tom Sakievich died Thursday night, according to the social media posts of several Utah politicians.

Former Utah County Commissioner Tom Sakievich died Thursday night, according to the social media posts of several Utah politicians. (Utah County)


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KEY TAKEAWAYS
  • Former Utah County Commissioner Tom Sakievich died at 72 on Thursday.
  • Sakievich resigned in September of 2024 due to glioblastoma brain cancer diagnosis.
  • He was praised for his service from the Marines to Utah County Commission.

PROVO — Former Utah County Commissioner Tom Sakievich died Thursday at the age of 72, according to the social media posts of several Utah politicians.

"I don't have many words at this time, but I want our friends to know that former Utah County Commissioner Tom Sakievich passed last evening. I am broken-hearted," Utah Rep. Lisa Shepherd, R-Provo, wrote in a Facebook post Friday.

Shepherd told KSL that Sakievich died at his home, surrounded by family.

Sakievich announced his resignation in September 2024, citing health concerns.

"Since receiving my glioblastoma brain cancer diagnosis earlier this year, I have been deeply grateful for your kindness, prayers and support as I have continued serving as your commissioner while undergoing medical treatment and recovery," Sakievich wrote in the letter.

Skyler Beltran, who stepped into Sakievich's spot following his resignation, described Sakievich as a "great public servant."

"Commissioner Tom Sakievich dedicated his life to serving his community from the U.S. Marines to the Utah County Commission," Beltran said in a social media post.

Utah Rep. Mike Kennedy also took to social media to express his condolences.

"Katrina and I are sorry to hear of the passing of former Utah County Commissioner Tom Sakievich. He was a devoted public servant, a proud Marine who rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and a man who loved his community and his country," Kennedy, the freshman Republican congressman, said in a post on X.

Shepherd described Sakievich as a family man who "loved his Marji (Tom's wife) with everything he had," adding that his family was his pride and joy.

"I will miss Tom's kind heart, positive demeanour, and thoughtfulness! Tom was a man without guile!

"He was genuinely sincere, honest to his core, and incapable of pretension," Shepherd wrote. "He approached people and problems with a pure-hearted straightforwardness that made others feel seen and respected. His integrity wasn't something he performed; it was simply who he was."

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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Logan Stefanich, KSLLogan Stefanich
Logan Stefanich is a reporter with KSL, covering southern Utah communities, education, business and tech news.

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