My Cousin Jay

Searchers find hiker's body
Draper man believed to have died after falling off cliff in Tooele County
By Melinda Rogers The Salt Lake Tribune

Disappointed after missing a phone call from a son who had recently embarked on an LDS Church mission, Jay Adamson headed to the mountains of Tooele County to find solace where he and his oldest boy had shared countless treks. But something went terribly wrong Wednesday when the 40-year-old father of six from Draper hit the trail in the Lakeside Mountain range. Concerned family contacted authorities when Adamson, an experienced outdoorsman, failed to return home from a hike he had navigated alone before. More than 70 volunteers joined a 28-person county search-and-rescue team to look for the missing man Friday and Saturday. Those efforts culminated Saturday when a family friend found Adamson's body at the bottom of a cliff around 11 a.m., said Tooele County Sheriff Frank Parker. Investigators believe Adamson died from injuries after he fell off the cliff, Parker said. It was a gut-wrenching discovery for those who knew Adamson, an outdoor enthusiast who was pursuing an engineering degree from Brigham Young University while managing a Draper-based toy company with family. Adamson's 19-year-old son, Riley, had departed for Stockholm, Sweden, on Monday to start an LDS mission, said Adamson's mother-in-law, Mary Jo Hansen. The teen had called his father from the airport in Sweden. Adamson was sad that he had somehow missed the call on his
cell phone. So Adamson went to do what always cheered him up: hiking. "He was missing Riley and said 'I'm going to hike in my favorite place,' " Hansen said. Adamson's family reported him missing after they went looking for him and found his car near the Marble Head Mine area, just northwest of Delle and along the western edge of the Great Salt Lake. The man had sent his wife, Marcie, a text message Wednesday saying he was going hiking in the area where his body was found, Parker said. The man's death is a shock for family who marveled at Adamson's expertise on the trails. "He does this all the time. He's always out hiking," said Adamson's brother, Don Adamson, of Cottonwood Heights. "I never wanted to go with him. He was so fast at hiking he'd leave me in the dust." Besides enjoying the outdoors, Adamson loved spending time with his children, said Don Adamson, who called his brother a "great dad." Jay Adamson worked at the family business, Glow-Tec, a manufacturer of Play-Doh-like products for children, and was also enrolled at BYU, his brother said. Adamson is survived by daughters Natalie, 17; Amy, 10; Rachelle, 8; Melissa, 6; and a son, Jeremy, 13; in addition to his son Riley and his wife, Marcie.

A funeral is set for 11 a.m. Wednesday at the family's LDS stake center, 1187 E. Draper Parkway. A viewing is scheduled for Tuesday evening. On Monday, a memorial account is to be set up at the America First Credit Union under Adamson's name.