UNITED STATES
                                   SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                                         Washington, D.C.  20549


                                               SECTION 13G


                                Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                                    (Amendment No. _______________)*


                                 SECURITY NATIONAL FINANCIAL CORPORATION
                                            (Name of Issuer)


                                          Class A Common Stock
                                     (Title of Class of Securities)


                                                814785309
                                             (CUSIP Number)


Check the following box if a fee is being paid with this
statement [  ].  (A fee is not required only if the filing person
(1) has a previous statement on file reporting beneficial
ownership of more than five percent of the class of securities
described in Item 1; and (2) has filed no amendment subsequent
thereto reporting beneficial ownership of five percent or less
of such class.) (See Rule 13d-7).

* The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a
reporting person's initial filing on this form with respect to
the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent
amendment containing information which would alter the
disclosures provided in a prior cover page.

The information required in the remainder of this cover page
shall not be deemed to be "filed" for the purpose of Section 18
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Act") or otherwise
subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall
be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the
Notes).



          CUSIP No. 814785309        13G       Page  2   of   8   Pages


 1  NAME OF REPORTING PERSONS (Filing jointly)                  
          
    S.S. or I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON           
          
    George R. Quist, Social Security No. ###-##-####            
          

 2  CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP *   (a)
                                                         (b)

 3  SEC USE ONLY

 4  CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OR ORGANIZATION
    U.S.A. Citizen

                                        5        SOLE VOTING POWER
                                                 Class A   187,965
     NUMBER OF                                   Class C 2,273,292
       SHARES                                    (Class C Common Stock is con-
    BENEFICIALLY                                 vertible into Class A Common
      OWNED BY                                   Stock at the ratio of ten
        EACH                                     shares of Class C to one share
      REPORTING                                  of Class A)
       PERSON                           6        SHARED VOTING POWER
        WITH                                     Class A 747,409 (590,579 as
                                                 trustee of issuer's ESOP;
                                                 69,401 as general partner of
                                                 Associated Investors).
                                                 Class C 1,494,817 (1,051,159
                                                 as trustee of issuer's ESOP;
                                                 443,658 as general partner
                                                 of Associated Investors).

                                        7        SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
                                                 Class A   187,965
                                                 Class C 2,273,292

                                        8        SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
                                                 Class A 747,409 (590,579 as
                                                 trustee of issuer's ESOP;
                                                 69,401 as general partner of
                                                 Associated Investors).
                                                 Class C 1,494,817 (1,051,159 as
                                                 trustee of issuer's ESOP;
                                                 443,658 as general partner
                                                 of Associated Investors).

 9    AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON
      George R. Quist 847,945 Class A Common; 3,768,109 Class C Common
      (Class C Common Stock is convertible into Class A at the
      ratio of ten shares of Class C to one share of Class A)

 10   CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES*
      N/A

 11   PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW 9
      Class A 20.6% Class C 75.9%

 12   TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON*
      George R. Quist: IN

                                  *SEE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE FILLING OUT!
In accordance with Rule 13d-4, any person may expressly declare
in any statement filed that the filing of such statement shall
not be construed as an admission that such person is, for the
purposes of Section 13(d) or 13(g) of the Act, the beneficial
owner of any securities covered by the statement.



                                      INSTRUCTIONS FOR SCHEDULE 13G


Instructions for Cover Page


(1)                 Names and Social Security Numbers of Reporting
                    Persons - Furnish the full legal name of each
                    person for whom the report is filed - i.e., each
                    person required to sign the schedule itself -
                    including each member of a group.  Do not include
                    the name of a person required to be identified in
                    the report but who is not a reporting person. 
                    Reporting persons are also requested to furnish
                    their Social Security or I.R.S. identification
                    numbers, although disclosure of such numbers is
                    voluntary, not mandatory (see "SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS
                    FOR COMPLYING WITH SCHEDULE 13G," below).

(2)                 If any of the shares beneficially owned by a
                    reporting person are held as a member of a group
                    and such membership is expressly affirmed, please
                    check row 2(a).  If the membership in a group is
                    disclaimed or the reporting person describes a
                    relationship with other persons but does not affirm
                    the existence of a group, please check row 2(b)
                    [unless a joint filing pursuant to Rule 13d-1(e)(1)
                    in which case it may not be necessary to check row
                    2(b)].

(3)                 The third row is for SEC internal use; please leave
                    blank.

(4)                 Citizenship or Place of Organization - Furnish
                    citizenship if the named reporting person is a
                    natural person.  Otherwise, furnish place of
                    organization.

(5)-(9),            (11) Aggregate Amount Beneficially Owned by Each
                    Reporting Person, Etc. - Rows (5) through (9)
                    inclusive, and (11) are to be completed in
                    accordance with the provisions of Item 4 of
                    Schedule 13G.  All percentages are to be rounded
                    off to the nearest tenth (one place after decimal
                    point).

(10)                Check if the aggregate amount reported as
                    beneficially owned in row (9) does not include
                    shares as to which beneficial ownership is
                    disclaimed pursuant to Rule 13d-4 [17 CFR 240.13d-
                    4] under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

(12)                Type of Reporting Person - Please classify each
                    "reporting person" according to the following
                    breakdown (see Item 3 of Schedule 13G) and place
                    the appropriate symbol on the form:

Category Symbol Broker Dealer BD Bank BK Insurance Company IC Investment Company IV Investment Adviser IA Employee Benefit Plan, Pension Fund, or Endowment Fund EP Parent Holding Company HC Corporation CO Partnership PN Individual IN Other OO
Notes: Attach as many copies of the second part of the cover page as are needed, one reporting person per page. Filing persons may, in order to avoid unnecessary duplication, answer items on the schedules (Schedule 13D, 13G or 14D-1) by appropriate cross references to an item or items on the cover page(s). This approach may only be used where the cover page item or items provide all the disclosure required by the schedule item. Moreover, such a use of a cover page item will result in the item becoming a part of the schedule and accordingly being considered as "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act. Reporting persons may comply with their cover page filing requirements by filing either completed copies of the blank forms available from the Commission, printed or typed facsimiles, or computer printed facsimiles, provided the documents filed have identical formats to the forms prescribed in the Commission's regulations and meet existing Securities Exchange Act rules as to such matters as clarity and size (Securities Exchange Act Rule 12b-12). SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLYING WITH SCHEDULE 13G Under Sections 13(d), 13(g), and 23 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules and regulations thereunder, the Commission is authorized to solicit the information required to be supplied by this schedule by certain security holders of certain issuers. Disclosure of the information specified in this schedule is mandatory, except for Social Security or I.R.S. identification numbers, disclosure of which is voluntary. The information will be used for the primary purpose of determining and disclosing the holdings of certain beneficial owners of certain equity securities. This statement will be made a matter of public record. Therefore, any information given will be available for inspection by any member of the public. Because of the public nature of the information, the Commission can utilize it for a variety of purposes, including referral to other governmental authorities or securities self-regulatory organizations for investigatory purposes or in connection with litigation involving the Federal securities laws or other civil, criminal or regulatory statutes or provisions. Social Security or I.R.S. identification numbers, if furnished, will assist the Commission in identifying security holders and, therefore, in promptly processing statements of beneficial ownership of securities. Failure to disclose the information requested by this schedule, except for Social Security or I.R.S. identification numbers, may result in civil or criminal action against the persons involved for violation of the Federal securities laws and rules promulgated thereunder. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS A. Statements containing the information required by this schedule shall be filed not later than February 14 following the calendar year covered by the statement or within the time specified in Rule 13d-1(b)(2), if applicable. B. Information contained in a form which is required to be filed by rules under section 13(f)(15 U.S.C. 78m(f)) for the same calendar year as that covered by a statement on this schedule may be incorporated by reference in response to any of the items of this schedule. If such information is incorporated by reference in this schedule, copies of the relevant pages of such form shall be filed as an exhibit to this schedule.
Item 1. (a) Name of Issuer Security National Financial Corporation (b) Address of Issuer's Principal Executive Offices 5300 South 360 West Suite 310 Salt Lake City, Utah 84157 Item 2. (a) Name of Persons Filing George R. Quist (b) Address of Principal Business Office or, if none, Residence 5300 South 360 West Suite 310 Salt Lake City, Utah 84157 (c) Citizenship Mr. Quist is a U.S.A. citizen. (d) Title of Class of Securities Class A Common Stock (e) CUSIP Number 814785309
Item 3. If this statement is filed pursuant to Rule 13d- 1(b), or 13d-2(b), check whether the person filing is a: Not applicable.
(a) ___ Broker or Dealer registered under Section 15 of the Act (b) ___ Bank as defined in section 3(a(6) of the Act (c) ___ Insurance Company as defined in section 3(a)(19) of the act (d) ___ Investment Company registered under section 8 of the Investment Company Act (e) ___ Investment Adviser registered under section 203 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (f) ___ Employee Benefit Plan, Pension Fund which is subject to the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or Endowment Fund; see Section 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii) (F) (g) ___ Parent Holding Company, in accordance with Section 240.13d-1(b)(ii)(G) (Note: See Item 7) (h) ___ Group, in accordance with Section 240.13d- 1(b)(1)(ii)(H)
Item 4. Ownership If the percent of the class owned, as of December 31 of the year covered by the statement, or as of the last day of any month described in Rule 13d-1(b)(2), if applicable, exceeds five percent, provide the following information as of that date and identify those shares which there is a right to acquire. (a) Amount Beneficially Owned George R. Quist: 847,945 Class A Common 3,768,109 Class C Common (Class C Common Stock is convertible into Class A Common Stock at the ratio of ten shares of Class C to one share of Class A) (b) Percent of Class Class A 20.6% Class C 75.9% (c) Number of shares as to which such person has: (i) sole power to vote or to direct the vote Class A 187,968 Class C 2,273,292 (Class C Common Stock is convertible into Class A Common Stock at the ratio of five shares of Class C to one share of Class A) (ii) shared power to vote or to direct the vote Class A 747,409 (590,579 as trustee of issuer's Employee Stock Ownership Plan; 69,401 as general partner of Associated Investors) Class C 1,494,817 (1,051,159 as trustee of issuer's Employee Stock Ownership; 443,658 as general partner of Associated Investors) (iii) sole power to dispose or to direct the disposition of Class A 187,965 Class C 2,273,292 (iv) shared power to dispose or to direct the disposition of Class A 747,409 (590,579 as trustee of issuer's Employee Stock Ownership Plan; 69,401 as general partner of Associated Investors) Class C 1,494,817 (1,051,159 as trustee of issuer's Employee Stock Ownership; 443,658 as general partner of Associated Investors) Instruction: For computations regarding securities which represent a right to acquire an underlying security see Rule 13d-3(d)(1). Item 5. Ownership of Five Percent or Less of a Class If this statement is being filed to report the fact that as of the date hereof the reporting person has ceased to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of the class of securities, check the following ___. N/A Instruction: Dissolution of a group requires a response to this item. Item 6. Ownership of More than Five Percent on Behalf of Another Person If any other person is known to have the right to receive or the power to direct the receipt of dividends from, or the proceeds from the sale of, such securities, a statement to that effect should be included in response to this item and, if such interest relates to more than five percent of the class, such person should be identified. A listing of the shareholders of an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the beneficiaries of employee benefit plan, pension fund or endowment fund is not required. Item 7. Identification and Classification of the Subsidiary Which Acquired the Security Being Reported on By the Parent Holding Company If a parent holding company has filed this schedule, pursuant to Rule 13d-1(b)(ii)(G), so indicate under Item 3(g) and attach an exhibit stating the identity and the Item 3 classification of the relevant subsidiary. If a parent holding company has filed this schedule pursuant to Rule 13d-1(c), attach an exhibit stating the identification of the relevant subsidiary. Item 8. Identification and Classification of Members of the Group If a group has filed this schedule pursuant to Rule 13d- 1(b)(ii)(H), so indicate under Item 3(h) and attach an exhibit stating the identity and Item 3 classification of each member of the group. If a group has filed this schedule pursuant to Rule 13d-1(c), attach an exhibit stating the identity of each member of the group. Item 9. Notice of Dissolution of Group Notice of dissolution of a group may be furnished as an exhibit stating the date of the dissolution and that all further filings with respect to transactions in the security reported on will be filed, if required, by members of the group, in their individual capacity. See Item 5. Item 10. Certification The following certification shall be included if the statement is filed pursuant to Rule 13d-1(b): By signing below I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the securities referred to above were acquired in the ordinary course of business and were not acquired for the purpose of and do not have the effect of changing or influencing the control of the issuer of such securities and were not acquired in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having such purposes or effect. Disclaimer of Beneficial Ownership The filing of this statement shall not be construed as an admission that George R. Quist is for the purposes of 13(d) or 13(g) of the Act, the beneficial owner of any securities held by Associated Investors, of which Mr. Quist is general partner, or by the Security National Financial Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan, of which Mr. Quist is a trustee. SIGNATURE After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct. February 26, 1997 ----------------- Date George R. Quist ---------------------- President The original statement shall be signed by each person on whose behalf the statement is filed or his authorized representative. If the statement is signed on behalf of a person by his authorized representative other than an executive officer or general partner of the filing person, evidence of the representative's authority to sign on behalf of such person shall be filed with the statement, provided, however, that a power of attorney for this purpose which is already on file with the Commission may be incorporated by reference. The name and any title of each person who signs the statement shall be typed or printed beneath his signature. Note: Six copies of this statement, including all exhibits, should be filed with the Commission. Attention: Intentional misstatements or omissions of fact constitute Federal criminal violations (see 18 U.S.C. 1001)