Grandpa's Obituary

Derrell Milo Andersen (1926 - 2013)

PROVIDENCE -March 20, 2013, Derrell Milo Andersen, 86, returned to his Heavenly Father after saying goodbye for the last time to his loving family here on earth.

The youngest of four children, Derrell was born April 2, 1926, to Milo and Catherine Collings Andersen in Fairview, Wyo.

Derrell was a hard worker who also enjoyed nature by horseback in the mountains above the family's homestead in Grover, Wyo.

After graduating high school, Derrell served an LDS mission in Denmark. Several years after his return, he moved to SLC. It was during this time that he attended a church dance where, as he was about to quietly exit the building unnoticed, he met and fell in love with a beautiful red-head, Jeanette Pulley, who became his eternal companion on June 14, 1963, in the Logan LDS temple.

They returned to Grover where five daughters were blessed to join their union. It was often commented by others that the Andersen home was a place of refuge where anyone was welcome: the hungry, the lost, the outcast, and strangers alike. When they sold their home and moved to Providence, Utah, in 1999, the new owners in Grover said they would never sell that house because the walls seemed to ooze love.

Derrell was a jack of all trades: ranching, farming, logging, postal worker, tax consultant, engine repair and much more; he taught everything he could to his daughters. But the greatest thing he taught his family was to love their neighbor more than themselves. It didn't matter who the person was or what they believed, he reached out to them.

To the very end, Derrell immersed himself in serving the Lord to the best of his ability. Even with oxygen and a walker in tow, he could be found at the temple, family history center, or doing service projects within his limited ability. 

Derrell is survived by his daughters: Tonya (Victor) Fraga, Houston, Texas; DeEtte (Eric) Voellger, Bonney Lake, Wash.; Janell (Lyle) Johnson, Logan, Utah; Beth Andersen, Providence, Utah; Deenna (Scott) Tolentino, Garden City, Utah; and 13 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Jeanette, two sisters (Baby Laura Andersen and Mae Hardy), brother (Merle), and his parents.

A viewing will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, March 24, 2013 at Allen-Hall Mortuary, 34 E Center St, in Logan, UT. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday, March 25, 2013, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 420 W. 100 North in Providence, Utah. A viewing will precede the funeral from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at that church. Condolences and memories may be shared online at www.allenmortuaries.net.

Written by my mother, Janell.

Published in Logan Herald Journal from March 23 to March 25, 2013

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