Richard Glen Anderson

Richard Anderson passed away peacefully in his home just after Easter, 2026. He passed in the company of family. He is now reunited with his dear Rhea.

Richard grew up in Manti, Utah, as the second of three brothers. With his parents, the five of them shared a small home warmed by a coal-burning stove and with a dirt-floored cellar. He spent his childhood helping with the family business, gathering and delivering chicken eggs. He played backyard basketball and sandlot baseball. As a teenager, he worked at the local drug store and helped on the family farm. He served as student-body president at Manti High School. But even more rewarding were the Sunday afternoons spent playing ball with the city’s war veterans.

Richard attended college in Logan, Utah. He studied civil engineering and milked cows on the side. He met Rhea in his junior year; their first date was to the bowling alley. Marriage soon followed in the Manti Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After a brief honeymoon at the family cabin at Fish Lake, Utah, they moved to Oklahoma, and then later to California where Richard trained as a civilian employee with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Richard’s experience led to an invitation to join the U.S. Weather Bureau (later the National Weather Service), where Richard oversaw the installation of Doppler weather radars throughout the western United States.

Richard and Rhea settled in Bountiful, Utah, in 1964 in what would become their forever home. When not at work or out serving others, Richard could be found trimming trees, tilling the garden, or bringing in the summer’s harvest. He completed projects with an engineer’s eye, whether it be sprinkler systems or pinewood derby cars. He was calm and patient as a father, and devoted as a husband. He worked hard when there was work to be done. Ice-cream was the nightly reward for a day well-spent. He served faithfully in church responsibilities; he and Rhea served church missions in Jordan, Cyprus, Australia, and in Utah. Richard was a humble example to their six children, eighteen grandchildren, and twenty-four great-grandchildren.

Near the end of his life, Richard wrote that his greatest blessing was his belief and faith in God and his testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “All of our opportunities for resurrection after death and our next life come into focus through that testimony and belief.”

Richard is survived by his children: Kerrie Mickelson, Robert (Pam), Mike (Andrea), Kevin (Cheryl), Kristen (Brian) Sorensen, and Tom (Sharise). He is also survived by his brother George (Leona) and his sister-in-law Sharon. He was preceded in death by his brother Tom, his grandson Doug, and his beloved Rhea.

A viewing for family and friends will be held Friday, April 17, 2026, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Russon Mortuary located at 295 North Main Street in Bountiful, Utah. An additional viewing will be held on Saturday, April 18, 2026, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel located at 540 North 1200 East in Bountiful, Utah. The funeral service will be held at the chapel at 11:00 a.m. All are welcome. A graveside service will follow at Memorial Lakeview Cemetery located at 1640 E. Lakeview Drive, also in Bountiful.

The funeral service will be streamed live on the Russon Mortuary Facebook page. A link to the page will be provided below on the day of the service.