Ruel Acord Allred was born in Spring City, Utah, on March 30, 1929, to Reid Henderson Allred and Anna Elizabeth "Libbie" Acord Allred.

Ruel's idyllic childhood included cherished moments spent with his close-knit family and boyhood friends as well as riding his beloved Shetland pony, Ohio, and working on the family farm.

In high school, Ruel was a senior class officer and lettered in football, basketball, and track. He graduated from Snow Junior College, then served a mission in the Netherlands for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1949 to 1952.

After returning home, he attended Brigham Young University and completed a Bachelor's of Elementary Education.

While there, he met his eternal sweetheart, Betty Brown Best. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on September 3, 1954. They honeymooned in Yellowstone, returning every 10 years with their growing posterity to celebrate their anniversary.

As a member of BYU's ROTC, Ruel received the Outstanding Cadet Award, then joined the US Air Force in 1955. In the Air Force, he stood alert as an F-86D Sabre all-weather interceptor jet pilot in Japan after the Korean War.

Returning to BYU following his military service, Ruel earned a Master's Degree in Personnel and Guidance and taught 6th grade at Joaquin Elementary.

Principal, BYU Laboratory Elementary School

Recognized for his outstanding teaching ability, Ruel was selected as a demonstration teacher at BYU's Laboratory School, where he later served as Principal.

In 1965, he earned a Doctorate of Education from the University of Oregon and was employed by BYU to teach undergraduate and graduate reading/language-arts methods classes and to supervise student teachers and interns.

As a nationally recognized leader in the field of education, Ruel wrote two monographs for the National Education Association, was a textbook author for McGraw-Hill and Economy Company, and co-authored the Sucher-Allred Reading Placement Inventory. He was an author for the nation's #1 individualized spelling program, Continuous Progress in Spelling, and helped pioneer one of the first computer-based spelling programs.

A lifetime member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ruel served in numerous callings-dedicating nearly 10% of his life to missions. He served as a member of two Sunday School General Boards, was on the Teacher Development Executive Committee, was bishop of BYU's 100th Ward and an agent bishop for Utah County.

From 1978 to 1981, Ruel served as mission president in the Belgium Antwerp Mission. Following his service as mission president and returning to BYU, he was appointed associate dean for the College of Education.

Included among his numerous honors are the Karl G. Maeser Distinguished Teaching Award and BYU's Alumni Service Award. He was recognized as one of Snow College's Outstanding Alumnus and inducted into Phi Delta Kappa's Utah Educators Hall of Fame.

After retiring in 1994, Ruel served a senior mission with his wife at the Laie Hawaii Temple Visitors' Center.

Ruel's many interests included golfing with buddies from Sanpete, traveling with family and friends to over 80 countries, and cheering for BYU's sport teams -- whether they won or not.

He enjoyed the simple pleasures of life: a ripe tomato from his garden, roasting pine nuts on cold winter evenings, and enjoying beautiful sunsets from his back porch.

He will be best remembered for his steadfast integrity, generous nature, devotion to service, and great love for the Savior.

Returning to his heavenly home, Ruel Acord Allred, age 91, passed away on September 5, 2020, at the Bennion Veteran Home in Payson, Utah.

His greatest joy is his eternal sweetheart, Betty, and seven children: Anita (Stephen) Babb, Chad (Anne Marie), Lynette (Gordon) Wright, Eileen (Glen) Tuttle, Brent (Kristyn), Marie (Brad) Stone, and Reid (Maggen) -- all of whom knew they were his favorite child -- as well as 32 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren with 3 on the way.

Preceded in death by his older sister and brother, Alta and Keith, he is survived by his wife Betty, brother Wallace, and sister Lenore.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Ruel A. Allred Memorial Scholarship Fund at www.snow.edu/ruelallredscholarship.

Interment, Orem City Cemetery. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.bergmortuary.com Deseret News, September 13, 2020.