A man whose handshake was his word, Waddingham had a reputation for his honesty and integrity, his family said.
"Anybody you would ever talk to, that's what it would boil down to," said Waddingham's daughter, Linda Dunlavy.
Waddingham, who once ran for attorney general and lost, taught his children an important lesson he learned from his career in law and politics: "It was as important to know how to lose as it was to win," Dunlavy said.
A B-24 bomber pilot in North Africa and Italy during World War II, Waddingham flew bombing missions over the Ploesti oil fields, was shot down twice, was a POW in Hungary and Germany for 13 months and survived an infamous winter death march.
He received the Air Medal, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
After returning home from the war, Waddingham attended Snow College, where he served as student body president, and went on to graduate from George Washington University Law School.
As an attorney in Delta, Waddingham played a vital role in the early stages of The Intermountain Power Project's coal-burning plant, after the secretary of Interior approved its construction in 1979. At the time, Waddingham worked for the region's four irrigation companies.
Waddingham would continue to focus on water-rights litigation, establishing himself as one of the leading attorneys in his field in Utah and the surrounding states. He chaired the Utah delegation to the Western States Water Council and the Upper Colorado River Commission. He also worked as Delta's city attorney from 1958 to 1980.
A Utah senator for 12 years, Waddingham served as senate president, majority leader and minority leader. He also served as president of the Utah State Bar in 1963.
Waddingham is survived by five children, 18 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and a brother, sister and sister-in-law.
Funeral services will be held Monday at 11 a.m. at the Delta 3rd Ward, 72 N. Center St. Friends may call at Nickle Mortuary, 190 S. Center St., today between 7 and 8 p.m. and at the church on Monday between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. Interment will be in the Mayfield City Cemetery.
lrosetta@sltrib.com
Thorpe Waddingham
1923-2006
