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Friends and colleagues say it is impossible to overstate the legacy of Edward D. Maryon, a prominent Utah artist and former chairman of the University of Utah Art Department who died Wednesday of complications related to Parkinson's disease.

"How do you explain someone who has everything?" said longtime friend Harrison Groutage.

Born in Salt Lake City in 1931, Maryon earned his bachelor's and master of fine arts degrees at the University of Utah, where he studied with Alvin Gittins, LeConte Stewart and V. Douglas Snow.

While in the Army during the Korean War, Maryon was assigned to work as an illustrator at the Presidio in Monterey, a place he loved and returned to often. With its scenic seascapes and quaint wharves and beach houses, Monterey was always a favorite subject, and he taught summer watercolor workshops there for many years.

Maryon worked as an illustrator and designer before accepting a teaching position at the University of Utah in 1957; his precisely rendered watercolors always recalled his origins in illustration.

He became chairman of the university's art department in 1962 and dean of the College of Fine Arts from 1964 until 1981. During his tenure, the university built a new Art and Architecture Building, expanded the Museum of Fine Arts and organized the ballet and modern dance departments. He continued teaching until 1991.

"Ed was a terrific dean," said Robert Olpin, an art history professor who has also been art department chairman and dean of the college. "He achieved a kind of organizational stability for the college that I don't think it had before him. . . . It was continuous growth within his years."

Maryon was a quiet but influential presence, both personally and professionally.

"He was so gentle; he could say so much with his painting and so much without speaking much," said his wife, Judy. "He just had a presence. You just knew he was there."

Maryon had a dry wit, could be very spontaneous and was completely without angst - and his work reflected his personality. "All his paintings were happy," Judy Maryon said.

More than anything, he will likely be remembered for dedication to teaching, caring for others and a quiet passion for his work.

"He was the best of the best, really," said Snow, who taught Maryon and later became his colleague at the university. "He, along with people like Alvin Gittins, are not going to be easy to replace. He's one of those important people."

Like Snow, Groutage met Maryon while teaching him at the university. "He was absolutely one of the most brilliant students I ever taught. He was a master craftsman, an excellent designer and brilliant colorist," he said. "The students loved him; he built a marvelous legacy with the students and has gone on to have a huge impact."

Services are scheduled for Monday at the Union Fort Fourth Ward LDS chapel, 6710 S. 1300 East.