Bent Kalf Andersen

Bent Kalf Andersen passed away peacefully at his home in Centerville, Utah, on March 7, 2025, at the age of 86, surrounded by his loving wife and family.

Bent was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on April 6, 1938. In February of 1955, at the age of 16, he and his family immigrated to the United States. He and his family became proud United States of America citizens on August 17, 1961. He attended West High School in Salt Lake City and quickly learned the English language. He went on to earn his Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the University of Utah and his Master’s Degree in Library Science from Brigham Young University.

His love for learning led him to a fulfilling career, working at the BYU Library and Genealogy Department before transitioning to Baker and Taylor, where he worked until his retirement.

Bent's life was marked by his unwavering faith. He served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hawaii, where he touched many lives with his kindness and dedication.

On July 22, 1960, Bent married his high school sweetheart, Lillian Gayle Willis, in the Salt Lake Temple. Together, they built a beautiful life and raised 5 boys and 1 girl. His career moved them to New Jersey, Illinois and Virginia. Once retired, they moved back to Utah to be closer to their children.

Bent had a deep passion for genealogy. He taught seminars on genealogy at BYU while also working at the library. In addition, he worked tirelessly to digitize the family histories of both his own and Gayle’s ancestors, ensuring that these valuable records were preserved for future generations.

Bent is preceded in death by his parents, Verner Henry Andersen and Harriet Lydia Mariane Nielsen, and his sister, Anne-Lise Nelsen. He is survived by his wife Gayle Andersen, their children Don (Susan) Andersen; Kim (Steven) Hansen; Scott (Ronda) Andersen; Tom (Elizabeth) Andersen; Tim (Tiffany) Andersen; and Paul (Kimberly) Andersen. Bent’s legacy lives on through his 19 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren, with three more on the way. They brought him endless joy and pride.

We wish to express our heartfelt thanks to the staff at Fresenius Dialysis of Layton, Utah, for their loving care and kindness toward Bent. We also extend our gratitude to Dr. Jared Peterson and the staff at Mountain View Eye Center, as well as Dr. Daniel Broadbent, Bent's primary doctor, for their devotion and care, and finally Rocky Mountain Hospice and their staff for their tender care.

A viewing will be held at 12:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at the Centerville Utah Stake Center, located at 950 North Main Street, Centerville, Utah, followed by his Funeral Service at 1:00 p.m. Bent will be laid to rest at the Bountiful City Cemetery.

Funeral Services will be streamed live on the Russon Brothers Mortuary Facebook page and on this obituary page. The live stream will begin 10-15 minutes prior to services and will be posted below.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to the American Diabetes Foundation at www.diabetes.org.

Bent’s kindness, dedication to his family, service to others, and his wonderful sense of humor will never be forgotten. He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.