Michael Stillman (1939 – 2020) was a Mormon Tabernacle Choir member and professional scouter with the Boy Scouts of America in Monroe, Sevier County, Utah; accused in 1989 of having sexually abused a boy between the ages of 13 and 15 in the mid-1970s; decided to resign as district scout executive as long as it did not imply guilt; was never reported to police or charged with a crime.

FLOODLIT.org is gathering information about this case, thanks to your donations and support.

Michael Stillman was placed on the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) confidential “ineligible volunteer” files for alleged child molestation.

Stillman may have gone by the nickname Mike Stillman. Some knew him as Terry Stillman.

Stillman graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree of science (BS) in youth leadership.

According to a report by Rees Falkner in Stillman’s BSA “perversion files, Mark Gubler, a Mormon bishop in St. George, Utah was told in or shortly prior to August 1989 by a 28-year-old man in his ward that Stillman had molested the man in the mid-1970s, when the man was about 13-15 years old.

The victim alleged that Stillman had molested him “repeatedly” while he and another person [name redacted in the report] were alone in Stillman’s home, and that Stillman had fondled his crotch area “through the clothing.”

In November 1989, an internal series of conversations occurred which resulted in Stillman’s resignation as a BSA employee. These conversations involved Rees Falkner, Dick Harrington of the BSA regional leadership, Stillman, BSA Area Personnel Director Boyd Ivie, BSA Council attorney John Valentine, BSA Director of Field Service Darryl Alder, and possibly others.

When confronted about the allegations of child sexual abuse against him, Stillman denied wrongdoing, but agreed to resign from his paid BSA position “as long as it did not imply guilt on his part,” according to Falkner’s report.

There is no public record of any arrests or criminal charges against Stillman.

There is also no record of Mormon bishop Mark Gubler ever referring the allegations to local Utah police.

Do you know them? Add info or contact us

FLOODLIT.org compiles reports on sexual abuse in the LDS church to raise public awareness and help survivors heal. Learn more » or Get involved »

Other Mormon sex abuse cases

    • Philander Smartt was a Mormon mission president in Puerto Rico; accused of sexually manipulating some of his sister missionaries; in 2014, the LDS church sent him home and called his behavior "immoral and sinful," but no criminal charges or civil lawsuits resulted
    • View report »
    • UNKNOWN Hawkins was an LDS bishop in Vallejo, Solano County, California; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church
    • View report »
    • Michael Simms was a Latter-day Saints (LDS) church member, organist and music teacher in Oregon; accused in a 2009 civil lawsuit against the LDS church of sexually abusing a boy about 100 times between 1974 and 1976; case settled in 2010 in federal court
    • View report »
    • Ronald Kerlee was a Mormon seminary teacher, Sunday school leader and youth leader in Corvallis, Oregon; convicted of Sodomy III (Class C Felony) for sexual abuse of a child; accused of sexually abusing multiple children; was also a licensed counselor in Oregon until his license was revoked in 2014 after he allegedly engaged in sexual activities with a male client
    • View report »
    • Michael Shean (1947 – ) was a Mormon bishopric counselor and temple worker, and deputy district attorney in Santa Maria, Santa Barbara County, California; convicted of sexually molesting boys; sentenced to prison; the Mormon church allegedly made at least one settlement payment to a victim who said a stake president covered up the abuse for years
    • View report »

Sources

  1. Michael Terry Stillman [obituary], Memorial Mortuaries & Cemeteries, April 15, 2020.
  2. Michael Stillman - Perversion Files, Los Angeles Times, December 1, 2022.

  • 1. Michael Terry Stillman [obituary]

    • 15 Apr 2020
    • News article
    • Memorial Mortuaries & Cemeteries

    Michael Terry Stillman
    January 4, 1939 — March 29, 2020
    On Sunday, March 29, 2020, the Patriarch of our family, Michael Terry Stillman peacefully slipped into the Eternities at the age of 81. Oh, the joyous reunion happening right now! He was born on January 4, 1939 in Glendale, California to Marion Roma Leaver and Melvin Terry Stillman.

    [...]

    After graduating from Glendale High School, he started attending Brigham Young University before enlisting to serve in the United States Air Force. Following his honorable discharge, he completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Youth Leadership at BYU. He was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and served as Tenor in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

    He married his eternal companion, [redacted] in the St. George temple on February 26, 1977.

    [...]

    The family moved from California to Utah in 1985 and spent many years in Monroe before moving to northern Utah, finally ending up in Roy. After the move to Utah, he still enjoyed yearly trips with his family to California to visit [...], amusement parks, and the beach.

    Michael’s passion for helping youth showed throughout his careers. He devoted 17 years to doing what he loved as a professional scouter with the Boy Scouts of America. He then spent 10 years working with the Utah Department of Corrections as a professional chef and mentor, and then finished his working life as a WalMart people greeter and bicycle builder.

    Michael enjoyed being outdoors, whether it was hanging out at the beach, hiking up in the mountains, or fishing at the lake. He passed on his talent and love of music [...] and would sing along to anything from the Beach Boys and Elvis Presley, to musicals and LDS Hymns.

    He had a laugh you would never forget and could always be counted on for a joke or a crude comment when you least expected it. He was a consummate over-sharer and felt things very strongly, a trait which he also passed on to his children and grandchildren. Though his memory was fading in his final years, he lit up whenever his family visited, and was always looking for a hug and kiss from his wife.

    [...]

    Due to current circumstances, no formal funeral services will be held. A graveside service will be held at 1:00 on Friday April 3, 2020 at Memorial Cemeteries & Funeral Home; 1640 Lakeview Dr. Bountiful, UT 84010.

  • 2. Michael Stillman - Perversion Files

    • 1 Dec 2022
    • News article
    • Los Angeles Times

Documents

Have docs or info? Add information

Criminal case documents

We believe this person was never criminally charged, so no related criminal case documents exist. If you have information that suggests otherwise, please contact us.

Civil case documents

Floodlit does not have a copy of a related civil complaint. Please check back soon or contact us to request that we look for one.

Other documents

Floodlit does not have a copy of any other related documents. Please check back soon or contact us to request that we look for some.

Timeline

  • 1939
    Born

Add information

If someone you know was harmed by the person listed on this page, or if you would like us to add or correct any information, please fill out the form below. We will keep you anonymous. You can also contact us directly.