Pelayo Roger de Gumuzio

 design in Latin America, Asia, and Europe. He also acquired properties for development in and around Blue Springs and made contacts in Kansas City banking and mining sectors. In 1972, Roger and Peggy had their third son Darin.
Shortly thereafter, Roger changed his focus to mineral extraction and refining while being awarded numerous mining concessions in Colombia, South America. Roger and Peggy moved to Provo, Utah in 1973, and lived part-time in Provo, Blue Springs, and Columbia, MO through the rest of the decade. Ultimately, extensive international travel and financial pressures over a number of tumultuous years took a toll on his professional and personal life, including his marriage to Peggy which ended in the mid-1980s. Roger also had a daughter, Diana de Gumuzio, born in Cali, Colombia May 17, 1982.
Roger met Jennifer Jones in Provo in 1987 while Roger worked as a building inspector for the City of Provo. Their friendship ultimately turned romantic—“Oh, that voice,” remembered Jennifer--and they married on Sept. 9, 1989, followed by a honeymoon in California. They were sealed in the LDS temple in Provo, UT in 1991.
Roger worked in furniture manufacturing in Provo before venturing back to South America looking for new business opportunities. Roger and Jennifer lived in Istmina, Colombia from July 1992 through the fall of 1993 before returning to Salt Lake City, UT, where they bought a home in 1994. Jennifer would go on to work for the LDS Church and Walmart while Roger worked with an architecture firm and then the US Census Bureau. In April 2000, Roger and Jennifer moved to their final home in Tooele, UT, where Roger was able to return to his roots in aviation, joining his son Darin at Boeing Aerospace in Salt Lake City in 2004, where Roger retired (at age 85!) in 2013.
In March 2014, Roger took Jenny for an unforgettable three-week visit to his native Bolivia along with his brother Reynaldo, son Dante and his wife, Dante’s daughter Jesse, as well as Jesse’s family. Despite his age, Roger was the first one up every morning and the last one to bed every night! He greatly enjoyed showing Jenny and his family the land of his birth and reconnecting with beloved places and people.
Roger was preceded in death by: his two elder brothers John and Carlos, younger brother Mario, younger sister Maria Luisa, one sister-in-law, one niece, two nephews and a granddaughter; also his first wife Peggy Gumucio (15 June, 2021), and his second son David “Gumby” Gumucio of Grantsville, UT (March 12, 2023). Roger is survived by: his wife of 34 years, Jennifer Gumucio, son Dante Gumucio of Orange, CA, daughter Dina Petersen of Thousand Oaks, CA, son Darin Gumucio of West Jordan, UT, and daughter Diana Toro of East Windsor, New Jersey; and by 10 grandchildren, five step-grandchildren, 14 great- grandchildren, and two step-great grandchildren. Also surviving is his brother Reynaldo Gumucio of Rogersville, MO and his family; his sister-in-law Irene Gumucio of Monroe, New Jersey and her family; and the families of his late brother John and his late sister Maria Luisa.
Roger loved listening to music including: Argentine tangos by Carlos Gardel and boleros by Trio Los Panchos; more contemporary Latin singers like Vickie Carr and Julio Iglesias; and light classical and pops music by the Boston Pops Orchestra, Three Tenors, Josh Groban, and Andre Rieu. Roger also enjoyed watching PBS and documentaries on TV, and reading Spanish- language newspapers on the internet. A gifted basketball player in his youth, Roger later became a passionate “futbol” fan of the US men and women’s national teams, those of Argentina, Spain, and Brazil, and finally the Barcelona club team.

 Roger amazed, frustrated, inspired, and challenged his family, friends, and many acquaintances, and was truly an international “man of mystery!” At his best, Roger was a loving husband, father, and grandfather, as well as a devoted American and internationalist. He was incredibly hard working, resilient, and loving! He will be missed beyond measure!