Ren Lloyd Hatt (born April 26, 1985 in Moab, Utah) died on Friday, December 5th, 2025, in a tragic car accident on Highway 6 just west of Green River, Utah.
Growing up, Ren could only be described as a Renaissance man. He excelled in school, sports, theatre, and friendship, and these interests were not only an expression of his true self, but they were also the ways in which he continued to grow, learn, and connect with others up until his final day. Ren was never stagnant, always listening to and sharing music, reading or writing, and looking for ways to work or help out. His work ethic came from his time spent at Hatt Ranch with Grandma & Grandpa Hatt. In the Sounds of Green River project Ren said “It’s difficult for me to think of home without thinking about the ranch. It’s where I learned how to work, it’s where I learned how to use a shovel, it’s where my grandpa caught a hawk with his bare hands out of the air once”. Ren loved all his grandparents and spoke of them often. He developed a love of cooking from his Grandma Harnew who Ren referred to as a child as a “good cooker,” a family title lovingly bestowed upon him after her passing.
Ren was blessed to be raised in a welcoming, understanding, and joyful household. Anyone who has the honor to spend more than a minute under Royd & Toni Hatt’s roof has experienced the world that shaped Ren, a home that is simultaneously a living repository of family memories and a place to make new memories. Ren’s happy place was spending time at his parent’s house especially with his siblings, Parker Hatt, Crosby Rich, and Megan Colson, and his nieces and nephew. Ren was a great big brother and uncle. Making his family proud, he served an LDS Mission at the Tennessee Knoxville mission from 2004-2006.
Those closest to Ren recognized his deep insight into others. He made people feel seen and understood, a testament to his intelligence and emotional maturity that he worked hard to develop, especially in the last few years of his life. Despite often being the smartest person in the room, Ren always showed great care with how he communicated with others, even showed great regret in the rare instance he lost his temper, often going far out of his way to make amends.
Ren loved his home town of Green River, Utah, so much so that in 2021 he ran for Mayor and won, following in the footsteps of his grandfather Rey Lloyd Hatt who served as mayor for 18 years. Local citizens and family alike describe Ren as a true leader who led from the front, but never shied away from hard hands-on work. He will be missed not only as the town’s mayor and a beloved teacher at Green River High School, but as a friend to everyone. In an essay for the book Why This Place, Ren reflected on his childhood sharing, “I was everyone’s friend and they were mine–I recognized every face in every filled seat at every event. Green River was a town that may not have been rich, but we were wealthy because we supported one another”.
Even for those who barely knew Ren, his humor is what all will remember him by, especially his beautiful, contagious laugh, enviable smile, and bright, twinkling eyes. This is what first captured the heart of the woman who would become the love of his life, Maria Sykes. Ren met Maria in 2018 shortly after moving back to Green River from time away, mostly in Ohio and Tennessee. After years of fun friendship that developed into a true love, Ren and Maria were privately engaged in 2024 and planned to be married in 2026 in a small ceremony with family and close friends.
Ren is survived by his fiancée Maria Sykes, parents Royd and Toni Hatt, brother Parker (Shaunee) Hatt, sisters Crosby (Jed) Rich and Megan (Samuel) Colson, nine nieces and a nephew, and his aunts, uncles, and many cousins. He is preceded in death by his grandparents Warren and Joanne Harnew and Rey Lloyd and Lu Juan Hatt and cousins Jace Vetere and Jessica Harnew Smith.
A service will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (95 N Clark St) in Green River, Utah, on Saturday, December 13th at 11:00 a.m., with a visitation beginning at 9:45 a.m. The interment will be at the Elgin Cemetery and a luncheon will follow at the Green River Ward Cultural Hall where all are welcome.
Donations to the Ren Lloyd Hatt Scholarship Fund can be sent to the Desert Rivers Credit Union (PO Box 336, Green River UT 84525). Condolences may be shared on the Mitchell Funeral Home website (mitchellfuneralhome.net) or mailed to: Maria Sykes, PO Box 441, Green River UT 84525.
Arrangements entrusted to Mitchell Funeral Home of Price and Huntington where friends and family are always welcome daily and may share memories of Ren online at www.mitchellfuneralhome.net