Stephen R. Covey was born 24 October 1932 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah to Stephen Glenn Covey (1897-1980) and Irene Louise Richards (1902-1991) and died 16 July 2012 Idaho Falls, Bonneville County, Idaho of unspecified causes.
Biography
Stephen Richards Covey was an American educator, author, businessman, and keynote speaker.
- Professor at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University at the time of his death.
Grandparents
Paternal Grandfather: Stephen Mack Covey (1869-1959) - founder of the original Little America hotel restaurant in Granger Wyoming.
Maternal Grandfather: Stephen Longstroth Richards (1879-1959) - LDS Apostle and 1st Counselor to Pres McKay (1951-1959).
Early Life / Education
Covey was athletic as a youth but contracted slipped capital femoral epiphysis in junior high school, requiring him to change his focus to academics. He was a member of the debate team and graduated from high school early.
Covey earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Utah, an MBA from Harvard University, and a Doctor of Religious Education (DRE) from Brigham Young University. He was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity. He was awarded ten honorary doctorates.
Lifetime Projects

- Covey Leadership Center - launched in 1985 and which later merged with FranklinQuest to become Franklin Covey producers of leadership planning guides.
- Stephen Covey's Online Community - launched in 2008, a collection of online courses, goal management and social networking. Covey used it to teach his thoughts and ideas on current topics and self leadership.
- professor at the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University for several years
- professor at the Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University in his later years.
- Leader in Me - Covey developed his 2008 book The Leader in Me into several education-related projects.
- 2003 National Fatherhood Award - from the National Fatherhood Initiative in 2003.
- English Missionary - He served a two-year mission in England for the LDS Church.
- First Irish Mission President - Covey served as the first president of the Irish Mission of the LDS church starting in July 1962.
Injuries and Death
In April 2012, Covey, an avid cyclist, was riding a bike in Rock Canyon Park in Provo, Utah, when he lost control of his bike and fell. He was wearing a helmet but according to his daughter, Catherine Sagers, the helmet slipped and his head hit the pavement. Catherine said Covey "went down a hill too fast and flipped forward on the bicycle." "It was a pretty big goose egg on the top of his head," Sagers said. Covey also suffered cracked ribs and a partially collapsed lung.
Covey died from complications resulting from the bike accident at the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho, on July 16, 2012.
Booklist

- The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
- First Things First,
- Principle-Centered Leadership,
- The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families,
- The 8th Habit, and
- The Leader In Me — How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time.
Covey authored several devotional works for Latter-day Saint readers, including:
- Spiritual Roots of Human Relations (1970)
- The Divine Center (1982)
- 6 Events: The Restoration Model for Solving Life's Problems (2004).
Siblings
Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
Irene Louise Covey (1923-2014) | |||
Marilyn Richards Covey (1928-1993) | |||
Stephen Richards Covey (1932-2012) | 24 October 1932 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah | 16 July 2012 Idaho Falls, Bonneville County, Idaho |
Refences