Leah Anderson

Salina, Utah - Leah Nielson Anderson, age 86, died February 28, 2008 after a courageous and gracious battle with a terribly debilitating disease. She died at home surrounded by her loving family and with her husband of seventy years at her side. Leah was born June 6, 1921 in Axtell, Utah, a daughter of William Hans and Pearl Spainhower Nielsen. She was from a family of ten children. Her father died when Leah was 11 years old and her mother and brothers and sisters continued to work the farm in Axtell. Leah attended Gunnison Valley High School where she was cheerleader. She married Jay Blair Anderson, February 4, 1938. Life was not easy for the young couple, but Leah showed her tenacity and resolve to make a good life for her family. This was during the depths of the depression and Leah made a beautiful and happy home that would become a hallmark of Leah’s and Jay’s future life with their children and later with their grandchildren. Their marriage was solemnized in the Salt Lake LDS Temple June 29, 1964. Leah is remembered by family and friends as a strong willed, gracious and generous lady. She was always ready with a helping hand for those in need. She loved to work in both her flower and vegetable gardens and her pink petunias were the envy of the neighborhood. She enjoyed camping and fishing with her family, and somehow she always seemed to bring in more fish than anyone else. While Leah did not have the value of a formal education, she taught her children values and lifestyles that would last them throughout their life. She was the heart of her family and showed her children the value of love for each other and for their fellow man. It is difficult to think of Leah without in the same thought, thinking the name of her beloved husband, Jay. Leah and Jay always seemed to be together and to go together. She will be greatly missed by her family, friends and all who knew her. Leah is survived by her husband, Jay, of Salina; three children: Bill and Ana Anderson of Salina; Rita and David Young of Murray; Peggy and Douglas Burt of Eagle Mountain; 15 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; 2 great-great-grandchildren; sisters: Beryl Ball of Salina and Verdell Johnson of Axtell. She was preceded in death by a son, Lee Anderson; two grandchildren; four brothers and three sisters. Funeral services will be held Monday, March 3, 2008 at 12 Noon in the Salina 2nd LDS Ward Chapel, 85 South 100 East in Salina. Friends may call for viewing at the Springer Turner Funeral Home in Salina, Sunday evening from 6 to 8 P.M. or at the ward chapel Monday morning from 10:30 to11:30 prior to the services. Burial will be in the Salina Eastside Cemetery under the care of the Springer Turner Funeral Home of Richfield, Salina and Gunnison, Utah.