Alan Dean Anderson

Alan was a devoted man who dedicated himself completely to his family, committed himself to service, and gave love and friendship to all he knew. When others speak of him they always talk of his kindness, his way of complimenting, his quiet service, his genuine and sincere nature, his dependability, and how he loved, loved, loved his family.

Alan grew up in Orem, Utah and attended Orem High School. He played baseball but soon found that tennis was his passion. He loved his days on the tennis court competing for the OHS Tigers. He also really loved weightlifting and was an extremely strong man. As time went on he found so many more things he loved to do. He enjoyed racquetball, softball, ping-pong, camping, movies with popcorn, concerts, reading and reading some more. He absolutely loved watching all sports, especially if it involved his mighty BYU Cougars! He was a fan through and through and lived from season to season. He took his family to the tailgates and home games and planned as many road trips as possible. He was always decked out in true blue.

He served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Florida Tallahassee mission. He truly loved his mission. He met many great friends and served many great people. It was there he learned a defining life lesson that he incorporated into his personal life and often shared with his family and many others – be yourself, love who you are, and love what you are doing.

Alan married Wendy Johnson in the LDS Manti Temple. She taught school and is still an educator in Alpine School District. He supported her every single day in her teaching and coaching and encouraged her to be source of goodness for all those she taught. He continued his education and graduated from Brigham Young University. He held many jobs along the way and was always a dependable and extremely hard worker. He finally landed at Fidelity Investments in Salt Lake City and worked there for 24 years. During that time he earned Certified Financial Planning License. He had many, many friends at work and considered them a second family.

Alan and Wendy have four amazing children – Ambree, Sheay, Dayton, and Sidnie. He often said that it was his plan to quietly fly beneath the radar and let his kids fly high and shine! He worked hard to help them develop their talents, have experiences and adventures, and shine in their own unique way. The Anderson family has also been blessed with adorable twin boys, Ryker and Travis. These toddler grandsons were adored by Alan. He just loved being with them, wrestling them, teasing them, and of course bribing them! We promise to share his stories, his example, and his wise words with his growing family.

He loved and served the Lord through always loving and serving others. He noticed people, talked with them, knew their families and situations, and was good to all. Alan would always joke about himself and say that he only had one talent and that was that he could lift heavy things. He was referring to his bench press record, but we all recognized his true lifting talent: he lifted burdens, he lifted spirits, and he lifted us. We love you Big Al!