Jarvis Lynn Anderson

1932 - 2016

Feb. 12, 1932 ~ Apr. 1, 2016
Jarvis Lynn Anderson was born February 12, 1932, and, but for the intervention of his mother, Alice Tippets Anderson, would have been named Abraham Lincoln Anderson.
He graduated from Ogden High School and went on to Utah State University where he received his Bachelor's Degree in theatre, paying for his education with his wages from the Wonder Bread factory and his winnings from the pool hall. Jarvis then earned his Master's Degree in theatre from the University of Utah and his PhD from the University of Minnesota. While at the University of Utah, he met Jean Anne Jory who he married on June 30, 1962. He taught at Yuba College, Oklahoma State University and Utah State University. His long and storied career at USU included teaching Shakespeare, Great Books, and other courses in dramatic literature, positively influencing scores of theatre and English students, and acting and directing for the USU Theatre Department, Old Lyric Repertory Company, and Valley Players, which he and Jean founded. He also acted with the Utah Shakespeare Festival and acted, directed and taught at PCPA Pacific Conservatory Theatre. He even tried his hand at television acting, skillfully playing Santa Claus in several commercials.
He and Jean had two daughters, Jensie (Robert Raysor) and Victoria (John Cordova) and three grandchildren, Chloe Jean Raysor, Christopher Jarvis Cordova and Alexandra Jory Cordova.
He died on April 1, 2016, from the ravages of COPD. In addition to his wife, children and grandchildren, Jarvis is survived by two of his four siblings, Chase D. Anderson and L Tracy, and his invaluable pets, Juliet, Oscar and Kingsley. He loved good bourbon, bad mystery novels, fly fishing, ham (with the bone in) and Mozart.
At his request, no services will be held, but he did ask that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to one of three scholarships that he and Jean endowed in memory of their parents: The Joseph P. and Alice T. Anderson Scholarship at Weber State University, 1255 Village Drive, Dept. 4018, Ogden, UT, 84408; the Jean Inness French Scholarship at Utah State University, 1421 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84322; or the Victor Jory Theatre Scholarship at the University of Utah, 540 Arapeen Drive, Suite 250, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108.