Robert Hugh Anderson

Robert Hugh Anderson got up and dressed for church Sunday morning November 7, 2021 but decided to go to heaven instead. Good choice, Dad! He was born in Provo, Utah on October 26, 1926 the son of Hugh Cheney Anderson and Ella Gladys Barker. He had just celebrated his 95th birthday on October 26, 2021. He lived his childhood and youth in Fairview, Utah where three preceding generations of Anderson’s had lived since coming to Utah from Scotland after joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He married his dream girl, Carol Christensen who lived in Moroni, Utah and they had four children: Kirk Robert, Ruth Elayne (Isi Kongaika), Janet Marie (Ned Miner), and Shauna Rae (Dale Bodily). Dad’s schooling and work took him to Orem, Utah in 1958 and he lived the rest of his full life in that blessed community. He was intelligent and was an honor student in high school. He attended Brigham Young University and was only a few credits from graduating.

He could do anything he put his mind to and was very creative especially excelling at designing and building things including his own home. He was a do-it-yourself prodigy! His skills in this area were much appreciated by his children, extended family and his neighbors. He worked at a variety of occupations including auto mechanic, watch and jewelry repair, and production line worker for Bonham Corporation (the makers of the “Tote Gote”) later working his way up to plant manager of Bonham Corporation in Provo, and accountant for Promised Land Publications in Provo. Along the way he also worked part time for a yearbook printing company, Community Press, doing the camera work in the printing process, as well as working for a grocery store doing accounting work. After he retired, he and Carol served a church mission in Wisconsin, and thereafter he was a volunteer at the Church Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah driving missionaries to medical and dental appointments, or other needs. He loved Ford cars, all things aviation including model aviation and airplanes of any variety, and traveling with notable trips to the South Pacific Islands, Scotland, as well as to Egypt to baptize a grandson, Robert Kongaika in the Red Sea. He also traveled to most of the States in the USA. He was a World War II Veteran, but was young enough when he enlisted in the US Army Air Corps that just as he was to be sent to pilot training the war ended! Thus, he went to aircraft mechanics school and thereafter to his time in auto repair. He was a lifetime active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving in many positions including ward clerk, executive secretary, bishop’s councilor several times and senior missionary. His longest standing church assignment was as chorister, a job that he first started at age 15, and he was chorister in every ward that he was a member of.

He was kind, friendly, loving and outgoing as well as being entirely reliable and selfless. We, his children, never met anyone who knew him who didn’t speak highly of him. We should all be as industrious, reliable and as easy to get along with as “Bob Anderson” was. He loved his wife and children and all of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He had many friends that he kept close to even up to the last week of his life. He lived a full life filled with love and service. We all should be so lucky as to have as long and meaningful life as “Bob” did. He will be missed.

Funeral services will be held November 20, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. in the Orem 6th Ward Chapel, 365 South 900 East, Orem Utah. There will be a viewing November 19, 2021 at the Sundberg-Olpin Mortuary at 495 South State Street in Orem, Utah from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and again at the 6th Ward chapel on November 20, 2021 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Burial will be at the Orem City Cemetery with military rites. The family requests that in lieu of flowers consider making a donation to the Utah Food Bank since there is much need to help our community members at this time of the year.