Mary Elizabeth Anderson

Mary Elizabeth Cherry Anderson stepped through the Veil on September 6, 2021, to be greeted by her many loved ones who went ahead. Mary, Betty Mary, or Sis as she was often known, was born February 21, 1924, in El Paso, Texas to John Daniel and Nona Ruebush Cherry. At age 11, her mother passed away suddenly, and Mary took on the responsibility of being a mother to her two little brothers (Bud and Ed). Her Daddy told the boys, “Sis is in charge.” She met her Eternal Sweetheart, Ami Lorenzo Anderson, Jr. in El Paso and gained a testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and her Savior Jesus Christ. She was baptized a member and, with special permission from President David O. McKay, Mary & A.L. were married shortly after her baptism in the Salt Lake Temple on April 3, 1944. In El Paso, Mary gave birth to their first daughter, and not long after they moved to Salt Lake where they were blessed with seven more children. They bought land in Holladay and built their homes there. She lived on that land for 77 years. Mary was known for her kindness, intelligence, grace, wit, and humor. She appreciated the beautiful things in life: the gospel, people, literature, music, and nature. Mary loved to visit and would chat about whatever made you feel important. She was an expert at everything. If no one else knew the answer to a difficult question, Mary knew it! She was a serene soul who was fearless and always up for an adventure. At 86 years old she rode both the ziplines of Park City with a hurrah from the amazed onlookers. From her childhood hunting for arrowheads to leading the vital telephone operators during wartime Mary’s passion for life never faltered. She gained her love of learning from her father as she studied with him learning about railroads and reading her beloved library books. She loved the gospel and was constantly serving throughout her life from establishing Pack/Troop 432 to being a pioneer in computer technology in establishing one of the first Family History Centers for the Church. Although a proud Texan through and through, Mary was an adopted member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers and loved genealogy. She demonstrated that love by indexing over 100,000 names for Family Search. Even in her last few days, she loved listening to the work on her genealogy as well as hearing the scriptures read to her every night. “Well done, thou good and faithful servant…”
Survived by: Cherry (Mel) Bryson, Andy (Ruby) Anderson, Vee (Mike) Gleason, Nona Eskelson, Robin (Lynn) Wahlquist, Daniel (Susan) Anderson, David (Sherry) Anderson, John (Emily) Anderson along with 25 grandchildren and many, many great-grandchildren.
The family is grateful for Bristol Hospice, especially for the sweet kindness of Jen, Jennifer, Megan, and Stephanie. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Humanitarian Fund.
A funeral will be held for Mary on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, at the Cottonwood 2nd Ward of the Salt Lake Big Cottonwood Stake (2080 East 5165 South, Holladay, Utah). Services will begin at 10:00 am, with a dedication of the grave to follow at Larkin Sunset Gardens Cemetery (10600 South 1700 East, Sandy, Utah).
An open house celebration of her life will be held at Mary & A.L.’s home at 2:00 pm.