Susan Leigh Sawaya Anderson

1947 - 2025

Susan Leigh Sawaya was born in Kemmerer Wyoming on December 30, 1947 to William James Sawaya and Millicent June Smith. She was the youngest of three children.

Growing up, Susan enjoyed ice skating, playing the clarinet, cheerleading, and vacationing with her family at Bear Lake. She worked in the shoe store her grandfather founded and as a babysitter. She loved her parents and siblings very much, as well as her extended family.

After graduating from Kemmerer High School, Susan attended one semester at Ricks College where she met Neils. They began dating and she quickly fell in love with him and his family. They married August 25, 1967 when Susan was only 19. Her dad died in 1968, which affected her deeply.

Susan loved a house full of family and knew early on that she wanted to have a lot of children. Through the years Neils and Susan had 8 children, 8 children-in-law, 37 grandchildren (plus 13 who have married into the family), and 26 great grandchildren with one on the way. She knew and loved each and every one individually.

Because of school and Neils's military service, they moved a lot in their early years. They spent time in Kemmerer, Wyoming; Blackfoot, Idaho; Provo, Utah; Paris, Idaho; Selma, Alabama; Fayetteville, North Carolina; Guam; Pocatello, Idaho; and Rexburg, Idaho. In 1975 the family moved to Idaho Falls, Idaho where they would stay for over a decade before moving to Moreland, Idaho for many years. After their children had grown, Neils and Susan moved to Blackfoot. They made many dear friends at every stage of their lives.

Susan worked as a librarian at the Snake River School/Community Library for 23 Years. She loved to read and seemed to know every answer on Jeopardy!, which she watched faithfully. She was a talented cook, seamstress, crocheter, writer, and teacher. She loved to play games, collect depression glass, go on picnics, to parades, and take long drives with her husband. She had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh.

Susan had a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and was a faithful disciple of Him her whole life. As a young child she often attended church alone. She studied the scriptures, prayed intently, served in many church callings, and worked in the temple. She and her husband were constantly serving others quietly. In 2011 She and Neils were delighted to return to Guam (they had been stationed there 40 years earlier) where they would serve an 18 month church mission. Most recently, Susan has worked as a volunteer at Bingham Memorial hospital.

Susan died of an aortic rupture on Saturday, November 15, 2025 in Pocatello, Idaho at the age of 77.

Her family was her most valuable treasure; she never measured success by money or notoriety but through her precious relationships. Susan made an effort to keep everyone updated on each other's lives and to foster love among all her posterity. She was a shining light and will be truly missed.

Susan is survived by her husband, Neils Donald Anderson Jr.; sister, Maggie St. Claire; brother, William James Sawaya Jr., and children, Timothy Neils Anderson (Sarah Williams), Rhonda Sue Anderson Perkins (Robert Nephi Perkins), Joseph Sawaya Anderson (Cherie Lynn Call), Rebekah Mary Anderson Kelly (Aaron C. Kelly), Suzanne Margaret Anderson Jarvis (Matthew Jacob Jarvis), Katie Delia Anderson Christensen (Nathan Edward Christensen), Lucas Donald Anderson (Amie Delyn Jensen), and Russell William Anderson (Jayleen Danielle Ricks).

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, November 22, 2025 at the Blackfoot Stake Center, 1650 Highland Drive. Family will greet friends and relatives from 5-7:00 p.m. Friday, November 21, 2025 at the Hawker Funeral Home, 132 S. Shilling Avenue in Blackfoot and again for one hour prior to the service at the church.