Mazel Callister

Mazel Keith Callister, D.C., passed away at age 79 on June 26, 2013, following several years of Alzeheimer's disease, at Beehive Memory Home, in St. George, Utah.
He was the third son born to Melvin Porter Callister and Mae Alberta Callister on August 21, 1934 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mazel grew up on the west side of Salt Lake City, Utah, near the Utah state fairgrounds, and graduated from West High School. He helped his dad and brothers gather wild horses from Bonneville Salt Flats and open ranges in Utah and Nevada. They tamed, trained and sold these horses to support their family. Some of the earliest memories are of his father yelling to him to "Hang on, son! Stay with him, stay in his middle.." as Mazel broke and gentled these wild horses into riding horses. Mazel discovered early that he had a special way with animals, and soon started training horses for jumping and racing competitions. He won many races riding as a jockey. One of the wild horses he trained became a world champion which afforded him a few years of fame among world class horsemen circles.
In high school, his favorite class was welding. Because of his exposure to world class horses and horsemen who regularly came to the state fairgrounds close to his home, he learned to shoe horses from two of the world's finest farriers. He used this skill to earn extra money as an onsite farrier at the Utah state fairgrounds as rodeos and horse competitions came to Utah.
Mazel suffered from multiple allergies all his life, and soon learned that conventional medicines always did him more harm than good. He wanted to learn natural methods to heal others and decided to become a chiropractor. For this reason, he went to Logan, Utah to study pre-medicine at Utah State University to prepare himself for chiropractic school. While attending USU, he earned his way through school by working with the USU Dept. of Animal Research. He also continued shoeing horses on the side, and was soon sought after by horse owners in Utah and surrounding states who learned of his unusual skills. He excelled in making specialized shoes to rehabilitate injured horses, and shod horses training for various types of competition.
Mazel attended Palmer's Chiropractic College in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, and graduated after three years. Living in California was a real culture shock in many ways for him, a simple cowboy from rural Utah. To pay for chiropractic school, he was hired to routinely shoe over 200 horses on a big horse ranch. He worked from 6 am 'til noon every day, then drove 35 miles to Palmer School to attend classes until 6 pm. Then he returned to his apartment at the ranch to study. His chiropractic teachers soon recognized he had unusually keen natural gifts in this healing field. Classmates, instructors and certain medical doctors also recognized his special abilities in diagnosis and natural clinical treatments. Mazel always credits them and Heavenly Father for helping him master the course work since he struggled with dyslexia. The hands-on learning style was always much easier and intuitive for him.
After finishing chiropractic school, Mazel declined several lucrative job offers to stay and work in California. He had no desire to return to the cold and snow he knew in his youth, and chose to open his practice in St. George because of the nice weather year round. His first office was one room by the old jail, north of the J.C.Penney store on Main Street. A patient built Mazel an office which could also serve as his living quarters. The house/office still stands on 400 North and Bluff Street. He practiced in St. George for 40 years. In Southern Utah, he continued to enjoy his love of horses and dogs, and often treated injured animals as well as people. Horses he adjusted never forgot him, and eagerly greeted him every time he returned. Mazel and his dog, Misty, often ventured to rural farms and ranches in Utah and Nevada to adjust and shoe horses.
He married Geraldine Dean on June 28, 2001 in Pine Valley, Utah. He enjoyed Geraldine's family and grandkids, was always gentle and patient, never giving a cross word to any of them or to Geraldine.
Everyone who knew him loved and respected him. He really appreciated his many loyal patients who continued to come to Brookside for treatments even after he retired.
Mazel is preceded in death by his parents and grandson, Joshua Benson.
He is survived by his wife, Geraldine D. Callister of St. George and his daughter, Debi Groves of Cane Beds, AZ, one grandson, one great granddaughter, one great grandson and special niece Peggy Callister.
The family gives special thanks to Jerry Parkin for being such a special friend, Beehive Homes and Horizon Hospice for their skilled and tender care.
Funeral services will be Saturday, June 29, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. at the Veyo Chapel, 176 E. Center, Veyo Utah. A viewing will be Saturday from 9:30-10:30 am prior to funeral services. Burial will be in the Veyo City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Wells Fargo Bank, Debi Groves/Service Dog Donations account, to help with expenses in purchasing Peggy Callister a much needed service dog