Eben Visher

Eben Visher Obituary

Loving son, fun and funny little brother, adoring and loyal husband, amazing dad, enthusiastic grandfather, devoted and generous friend, student for life, teacher through and through, technology advisor to all, and faithful servant of God.

Eben Rockwell Sharpe Visher, 74, was born on November 15, 1947 in Washington, D. C. the youngest son of Worth Joseph and Beatrice Washburne Sharpe. He passed away from post-surgery complications in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 15, 2022, surrounded by family and a heroic medical team.

Eben’s father, Worth, passed away from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever when Eben was six months old. His mother later married John Visher, who adopted Eben and his brothers and brought a son of his own to the union. They raised their four boys primarily in Falls Church, Virginia, and in Athens, Greece, for five years, and in Montreal, Canada, for a year.

Eben was born with a heart defect, which, in 1947, meant that he was not expected to live beyond his teenage years. Thanks to pioneering efforts in heart surgery, Eben was among the earliest patients to have open heart surgery in the late 1950’s, at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where the defect was corrected. He grew up loving anything and everything about science, math, science fiction, classical music, photography, magic, and nature. He was a strong swimmer and a certified lifeguard. He loved camping with his family and traveling to fascinating locations in Europe and the Middle East while growing up.

Upon graduating from Annandale (Virginia) High School, Eben attended Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin. While there, he became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He later served a two-year mission for the church in Switzerland and France, where he became fluent in the French language. Following his mission, he returned to Beloit for another year of college, and then transferred to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, from which he graduated in Math and Physics. He also did graduate work in Math. He taught high school Math, then taught Math and later Computer Science at BYU. Eventually he was lured away from teaching to work in software development, which he did for the remainder of his career, in Provo until 1986, and then in Sacramento, California. He retired in 2021, and he and Kathy moved to Las Vegas, near two of their daughters. Eben loved writing software, and he loved everything to do with technology. He shared his knowledge freely with all who were interested. He also took many, many photographs throughout his life, and loved editing them when the technology to do so became available on computers, tablets, and phones. He spent many hours serving in the Church, in bishoprics, in other ward and stake leadership callings, and, his favorite, teaching. In the last fifteen years of his life, Eben was a member of and ardent supporter of Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous. He gave generously of his time and knowledge to fellow FA members, and was continually loved and supported by his FA friends.

Eben and Kathy (Kathryn Austin) met at BYU and were married in the Provo, Utah temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 7, 1973. He loved watching her sing, which happened often, and he always smiled broadly and perhaps a little conspicuously whenever she performed. He and Kathy loved children, and adopted their six children while living in Utah. The children learned to love many things, especially books, because their dad read to them constantly. His lectures on geology, whenever we traveled, are well remembered by his kids, along with many, many lectures about science, technology, dressing for success, and being a good human.

Eben is survived by his wife Kathy, his children Sarah (and Sergio) Barillas, Annie (and Josh) Ostler, Emily Visher (and Jamil Bhanji), Matthew (and Rusty) Visher, Michael (and Sarah) Visher, and Amy Visher; grandchildren Brendon, Joshua, Aloria, Claire, Ammon, Gabriel, Noelle, Emmett, Kylie, Mekhi, and Zola, and by his brothers Christopher N. Visher and S. Chandler Visher and their families. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Stephen Sargent Visher.

The funeral service for Eben will be Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 11:00 A. M. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 10070 Azure Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89149. There will be a viewing for all friends and family at the church prior to the funeral, from 9:30-10:30. Services will be under the direction of Moapa Valley Mortuary, 702-398-3600. The family suggests that anyone who might desire to make a charitable contribution in Eben’s name consider a donation to Brigham Young University or to Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous.