The Reverend Canon William Ivan Cendese, Ph.D. died of natural causes on January 7, 2023, in the presence of his two sons. Born March 8th, 1936 in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, Ivan succeeded in living an unimaginably full life.

Known for his infectious laugh and the uncanny twinkle in his eye, his presence was perceived by those around him as steadfast, calming, and extraordinarily kind. Ivan loved the opera, the arts, and the outdoors. An avid downhill skier, Ivan also loved cycling, kayaking, yoga, and hiking. At 82 years old, Ivan even managed to rent a kayak and paddle himself into the Burrard Inlet, a busy commercial shipping lane, in Vancouver, BC., something that, suffice it to say, he should have not done. He made it out just fine after a leisure cruise captain plucked him out of the water. Ivan, of course, made friends with him.

The second youngest of six children, Ivan hewed his own path. After losing his mother at the age of nine, he got his first job in his Cousin Feio’s butcher shop. Forced to be self-sufficient and independent, his speed on the football field caught the eye of the football coach at Bishop Duffy High School in Niagara Falls, New York. Ivan was then offered a scholarship to attend Bishop Duffy and took it upon himself to apply for a student visa at the age of 13 so he could attend school in the United States. After a successful high school career in which he was fully engaged in athletics and debate, Ivan entered the order of Saint Francis de Sales seminary.

Ivan spent 18 years in the Catholic priesthood and, during this time, lived in Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Toledo, and Columbus, Ohio, attained two Bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Religious Studies, and a Master’s in Education. In 1966 he was transferred to Salt Lake City, Utah where he became a faculty member at Judge Memorial Catholic High School. There he worked his way through the administration serving, variously, as Dean of Students, President, Vice-Principal, and eventually Principal. At Judge, Ivan became known for his strict nature but also for his ability to connect and serve, listen and empathize. Ivan often told the story of how he let rumors live that his flattened nose was the result of his time as a Golden Gloves boxer, even though he never boxed, and it in fact was caused by a septum correction when he was 8. Ivan never minded that the embellishment lent itself to his job, good order, and eventually his legend.

Ivan left the Catholic priesthood in 1972 but continued his career as an educator with the Jordan and Salt Lake City School Districts. During this stage of his life, he worked at Hillcrest, was principal at Glendale Middle School and eventually principal of Highland High School, among others. All of this while simultaneously working to achieve a Ph.D in Education. His thesis project resulted in the founding of Valley High School, an alternative high school for non-traditional students in the Jordan School district that flourishes to this day.

In 1989, Ivan was received as an Episcopal priest after the encouragement of the Very Reverend Bill Maxwell, the then Dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Mark, in Salt Lake. Ivan worked as part-time clergy until he retired from the Salt Lake City School district to pursue full-time employment in the Diocesan office as Canon to the Ordinary under Bishop George Bates and Bishop Carolyn Tanner Irish. Ivan’s third career led him, eventually, to become Priest in Charge at the church of St. Francis in Moab, Utah, and later at St. David’s Church in Page, Arizona.

William Ivan Cendese was a kind, gentle, and generous man. He touched the lives of countless people over his storied career. A champion of the value of education and equal opportunity, Ivan never missed a chance to help a person in need. Whether as a man of the cloth, teacher, school administrator, or father, Ivan was known for thinking outside of the box and for bending over backward for the people under his care. Ivan approached every situation with equal passion and never allowed himself to be prejudiced by anyone’s history or background. He was a champion of the poor and forgotten as well as a steward of ecumenical cooperation, as was evident by his work with the Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable which brought together representatives from all of the major religions in Utah.

Ivan married Jan Worsley, his wife of 38 years, on July 1st, 1978. Together they raised two sons in an extraordinarily fruitful marriage. In 1992, Ivan and Jan took their boys for a fourteen-month sabbatical in Florence, Italy. They immersed their kids in Italian school and exposed them to the classic art and culture of the Renaissance. Ivan and Jan did this because they wanted their sons to have a sense of the wider world – a truly life-changing decision that either one of them wouldn’t have done without the other. Although they amicably divorced in 2016, they remained close in each other’s hearts.

Ivan is survived by his two sons, Nicholas Luciano Cendese (Nathanial Shaw) of Salt Lake City, Utah; Alexander Gianni Cendese (Gabrielle Sunshine Miller) of Vancouver, British Columbia and their son, Mthobisi; his former wife Jan Worsley Cendese of Salt Lake City; and his sister Louise Nonni (Duiglio Nonni) of Thorold, Ontario, Canada.

There are occurrences in life that surpass all previous experiences and, when they have passed us by, the world is left so completely changed it is as if it has been made anew. The life of William Ivan Cendese was just such an occurrence. The impact his life had on so many can never be forgotten or understated. The world will never be the same without him and is surely a better place for him having lived in it.

Ivan will forever be tremendously missed.

A funeral service for Ivan will take place on Friday, March 17th, 2023 at 11 am at St Mark’s Cathedral in Salt Lake City, Utah, with a time of remembrance and celebration to follow immediately afterward in the parish hall. The family encourages you to visit, share, and remember Ivan online at https://everloved.com/life-of… and to stay up-to-date with memorial plans.

In Lieu of flowers please send donations to the Cathedral Church of St Mark in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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