SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Canyons School District Board of Education vice president died Friday.

Mont L. Millerberg, 74, had been hospitalized since Feb. 18 when he suffered a stroke, according to the district.

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“Despite the valiant efforts of doctors and specialists, Millerberg did not recover,” the district said in a press release.

Millerberg is remembered by the district as a “dedicated public servant, committed community leader, and fierce advocate of Midvale-area schools.”

Millerberg was elected to the first-ever Canyons Board of Education in 2008, where he oversaw the fledging years of the first new school district to be created in Utah in nearly a century.

The district said the work he and the other members of the inaugural Board of Education did “set the course for Canyons, which quickly became a state leader in advancing student achievement, encouraging innovation, promoting community engagement, and providing top-notch customer service to the public.”

Millerberg was re-elected to the Board of Education in 2016 and again in 2020 to represent District No. 1, which covers schools in Midvale. Additionally, Millerberg was “instrumental” in launching the Canyons Education Foundation, the fundraising arm of the district, the district said.

Board of Education President Amber Shill called Millerberg a “founding father” of Canyons District and said that generations of children will benefit from his vision of education.

“Mont was plain-spoken yet outspoken, firm yet kind, and serious about the responsibility of his elected office, but wise enough to know when laughter was needed to ease a tense moment,” Shill said.

Canyons Superintendent Rick Robins said Millerberg’s contributions to Canyons School District “cannot be overstated.”

“His leadership from our very first days is a reason Canyons is known as a lighthouse district across the state and even the country,” Robins said.

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