John Kyller Anderson

1956 - 2019

John Kyller Anderson
1956 ~ 2019
Tucson, AZ-John Kyller Anderson passed away suddenly on Sunday evening, March 10, 2019. John and his wife, Dr. Nancy Anderson, had just returned to their home in Tucson from visiting family in California, and were unloading the car when he began to have difficulty breathing due to COPD. EMTs valiantly tried to save him, but John died suddenly from a heart attack.
John was born February 7, 1956 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Fern Louise Nelson and Farel George Anderson, and lived in Bountiful. He was the fourth of their five children, with siblings Stanley Nelson Anderson (Yoko and Sayuri), Sherman Farel Anderson (Leslie), Marilyn Anderson Sparks, and Richard Lynn Anderson (Shari).
John grew up enjoying many family vacations camping and fishing. He had a profound love of outdoor adventures, whether rock climbing in the Grand Tetons or hiking in the American southwest, making memories in Zion, Moab, and Chaco Canyon among many others. His children remember that he always carried a Swiss army knife and taught them to both "always be prepared" and "leave it better than you found it." They said he was "equally happy in the cold and wet as the hot and humid."
John attended public schools in Bountiful: Valley View Elementary, Millcreek Jr. High, and Bountiful High, graduating in 1974. John attended the University of Utah and was a self-educated man-never without a book. He was an intelligent, creative man and soon discovered that, like his father, he had the desire to create and build rather than push a pencil. He became a steel fitter and excelled at it. John was an important part of the construction of numerous sporting arenas, churches and commercial buildings all over the country. He was especially proud of his work at Lambeau Field and the Vivint Smart Home Arena, which are home to his two favorite teams. He was a skilled woodworker and completed many beautiful home remodeling projects.
John married Christine Roberts in 1985. Together they raised two amazing children: Jacob Roberts Anderson (Katelyn Anderson) of Kirkland, WA and Rachel Alexia Anderson (Michael Wilson Becerril, Ph.D) of Hamilton, NY. John and Christine were divorced in 2013. John was extremely proud of both his kids. He loved everything about them: Their intelligence, creativity, kindness, and the life partners they'd chosen. He celebrated their accomplishments whole-heartedly.
John married Nancy Levandoski in June, 2015. She survives. John considered Nancy's children Danika (Mike) Kadin, of Irvine, CA and Dr. Karlin Schultz of Chandler, AZ to be his own children, and he loved them and was proud of them. He especially loved Danika and Mike's daughters, Madison and Makenna, who referred to him as "Woompa."
John loved being with his friends. He was a true friend and enjoyed the many good times they had together. Allowing one friend to be the voice for many others: "John's death creates a terrible void and an overwhelming sense of grief. John was one of the most brilliant, beautiful human beings and best of friends we have ever known. We loved John." On John's last day of life, he was entertaining Nancy with stories of the "wild and crazy" times he had with his friends. He loved all of them, and considered his teens and 20s to be "great times in my life." His Bountiful friends were in his thoughts and heart always.
At his request, John's body was donated to science and his remains were cremated. John's children, siblings, and friends will hold a "celebration of life" picnic on May 11th at Buckland Flats in Bountiful, UT. Nancy, John's siblings, children and friends will participate in a Memorial Service at John and Nancy's home in Tucson in October. John's ashes will be scattered after by his favorite crested saquaro in Pima Canyon, where he loved to hike.