Bryant Ford Anderson

1941 ~ 2019

Bryant Ford Anderson, our beloved father, brother, grandfather, and great-grandfather, of Sandy Utah was reunited with his sweet wife on July 2, 2019. He was born on the day after the Pearl Harbor attack on December 8, 1941 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Diantha Berniece Pettey and Joseph Ford Anderson, the first of seven living children. He was raised on the family farm in Vale, Oregon.

After completing high school, he attended BYU and served in the Great Lakes Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He graduated with a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering. It was during this time he met the love of his life, Sharren Malicent Wells. They married on September 6, 1968 in the Salt Lake Temple. To this union were born five children: Melinda Joy Barnes (Daniel) of Rexburg Idaho, Alesha Noel McCown (Steven) of Mapleton Utah, Tyler Ford Anderson (Jenny) of Sandy Utah, Spencer Wells Anderson (Jill) of Billings Montana and Jared Bryant Anderson (Tenna) of Saratoga Springs Utah.

After graduating from BYU, Sharren and Bryant moved to Redwood City, California. Three years later, in 1973, he accepted a position at Sperry Univac, and the family relocated to Sandy City, Utah. It is there they settled and raised their family, in a home Bryant built, overlooking Dimple Dell Park.

Bryant had four passions in life: his faith, his family, his work, and Sandy City.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Bryant faithfully served in countless church callings and assignments over his life, often arriving early and staying late, much to the chagrin of his children. His commitment was centered on an unwavering faith in God and trust in the Savior. He found great strength in the simple acts of devotion, like partaking of the sacrament and attending the temple. The capstone of his church service was fulfilling a mission with Sharren in Big Bear, California.

Bryant was completely devoted to his family and went to great lengths to provide for and support them. After being raised as the oldest child on a farm family, his instinctive love language was sacrifice, this led to simple pleasures, constructive hobbies, and very little television. While successful in life, it was not until his seventies that he allowed himself to purchase his dream car, a Ford Explorer.

As an electrical engineer, Bryant worked in the same facility for over 40 years specializing in aeronautics, nautical, and terrestrial satellite communication. His unwavering focus and persistence was perfectly suited for engineering. Early in his career much of what he worked on was classified, but later in his career, he was able to help his company transition into the private sector, saving many jobs. Bryant was the author of numerous patents while working at Lockheed Martin. In 1997, he received the Utah Governor's Medal for Science and Technology for developing technology that enabled ships in rough waters to communicate with satellites.

Bryant loved Sandy City and served in various capacities for over 30 years, including the City Council from 1984 until 2012. Bryant championed many projects, including an extensive community parks network, Alta Canyon Recreation Center, and the Sandy City Amphitheater. Not naturally affable, he worked hard to listen and connect with residents. During each election campaign he set out to knock on every door in his district. He truly embodied the essence of community, spending countless days and nights volunteering. Whether it was picking up rocks, attending council meetings or taking late night phone calls from concerned citizens, he was all in. Bryant was a legend at the Sandy City Fourth of July Parade. Early in his City Council tenure, he saw a forecast for record setting heat and decided, on his own, to purchase thousands of popsicles to hand out to parade goers. He would later walk the route dressed as Thomas Jefferson. In 2001, he was recognized as the Sandy City Citizen of the year receiving the Noal Bateman Award.

Bryant is survived by his children and their spouses; his brothers Dave Anderson of Murray, Utah, Mark Anderson of Lewiston, Idaho, John Anderson of Pendleton, Oregon, and Mike Anderson of Nampa, Idaho; his sisters Judy Anderson of Aloha, Oregon and Marilyn Segle of Snohomish, Washington. Bryant is also survived by his 28 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his wife, Sharren, father, Joseph Ford Anderson, mother, Diantha Berniece Pettey, baby brother William Russell, and recently discovered sister Eliza.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, July 9, 2019 at 11:00 am at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel at 9855 Eastdell Road, Sandy. Visitation will be held on Monday July 8, 2019 at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 East Dimple Dell Road (10600 South), Sandy from 6:00 - 8:00 pm and on Tuesday July 9, 2019 at 9:45 - 10:45 at the church prior to the funeral services. Interment will be immediately following the funeral services at Larkin Sunset Gardens.