Richard Anderson

1932 - 2022

Richard Frederick Anderson

1932-2022

Salt Lake City, UT - Richard Frederick Anderson (Dick), father of six, grandfather of seventeen and great grandfather of twenty-three, passed away peacefully on June 1, 2022.

Richard was born on October 14, 1932 in Bingham Canyon and spent his youth in Midvale, Utah. He graduated from Jordan High School and went on to complete a bachelor's degree in music from the University of Utah and a master's degree in education from Brigham Young University.

Music played an important part of his life which began at the young age of 7 where he attended a summer session for beginners in instrumental music. He was selected to play a solo at the end of the summer concert. Thus began his lifelong passion and love of music. He formed his own band in high school and played for many school dances. Throughout college and the early years of marriage he freelanced with many bands and was invited to play regularly with the Mel Hall band as a trombone player. They accompanied many talented artists that came to town such as The Ames Brothers, Nat King Cole, The Four Freshman, The Everly Brothers, and Johnny Mathis. The majority of his career was spent teaching music at Bingham High School which ranged from orchestra and band to choral groups. To supplement his income, he formed a band named "The Corsairs" and played at various clubs on weekends. After his retirement he enjoyed playing, singing and leading the Phoenix Jazz and Swing Band.

Richard fulfilled many roles in his life – husband, father, educator, musician, community and church leader. He worked for over 40 years as a public school teacher and director of community education programs. He completed many remodeling projects on our Cecelia Circle home. He was also a skilled mechanic and antique car restorer. In the 1970's, he purchased two dilapidated cars, much to our mom's dismay. And for the next forty years, he painstakingly restored a 1936 Ford and 1940 Ford Coupe to mint condition. He later restored a 1950 Chevrolet truck.

Since July 28, 2020, Barbara Anderson has been "patiently" waiting for Richard to return to her side. They were married in 1957 in Elko Nevada, sealed in the Salt Lake Temple in 1971, and created an abundant life together over 63 years of marriage. Richard is survived by daughters Lori (Stan) Reed, Jan Allen, Shelly Hamula, Stacie (Matt) Larsen and sons, Mike (Angel) Anderson, Chris Anderson, and sister Carol Sharp. He was preceded in death by his parents, Frederick and Mearl Hurst Anderson, and his sister, Jeanine Lancaster.

From humble beginnings, Richard worked hard to create a life centered around family, music, laughter and fun. He hosted some of the world's best backyard barbeques and swim parties. He had a quiet, understated manner that belied an iron will, fierce determination, and keen intellect. His family meant everything to him, and we in return valued his lifelong consistency, resilience, and integrity. He will be dearly missed.

A graveside funeral service will be held on Monday, June 6th at 2:00pm at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park in Salt Lake City. Visiting for family and friends will begin at 12:45 pm at the mortuary. The family wishes to thank the staff at Sagewood for the attentive care they provided for Richard.