Eva Fay Israelsen Anderson

Eva Fay Israelsen Anderson died of complications related to pulmonary fibrosis Friday, April 15, 2016, in her home surrounded by family. She was 89.

She was born July 8, 1926, in Hyrum, Utah, the sixth of 11 children of Eva May Butler and Victor E. Israelsen.

Eva Fay grew up working on her family’s dairy farm. She loved the scent of freshly-cut hay, riding horses, gathering eggs, driving the tractor and feeding lambs with a bottle. She hated thinning sugar beets. She attended elementary schools in Hyrum and North Logan and graduated from South Cache High School. She studied child development at Utah State Agricultural College.

She married Nathan Hale Anderson on July 10, 1946, in the Logan LDS Temple. They lived in Cornish, Lewiston and North Logan, Utah, and had six children. They were also foster parents to two children.

She valued her education and spoke often of the importance of lifelong learning. She returned to Utah State University as a mature-age student, where she learned to speak Spanish. She travelled to Venezuela to visit friends and practice her language skills. She joined the international student hosting program at Utah State University and provided a home to students from 47 countries while they studied. She worked as a bookseller at Deseret Book in the Cache Valley mall during the Christmas season for many years.

She had an intellectual and spiritual curiosity, which she instilled in her children. She enjoyed studying LDS church history and hosted a Sunday evening family gathering at her cabin to discuss history and doctrine.

She served a full-time LDS mission with Nathan in the family history library in Salt Lake City, where they worked on digitizing the 1881 British Census.

She enjoyed music, a good story, parades – especially the Fourth of July Parade in Lewiston, watermelon, the Utah Jazz, books, sewing, knitting, crocheting, cross-stitching, quilting, Aggie ice cream and red Jell-O topped with whipped cream.

But her real loves were her family, her friends, her church and her homes. She lived in 10 houses and spoke of each one as her dream home, especially her log home in an alfalfa field in North Logan, which she called her “little house on the prairie.”

In addition to being a loving mother, Eva Fay adored her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A cross-stitch she hung on her wall read, “Grandchildren are God’s reward for getting old.” In her words, they were her “precious jewels.” She hosted sleepovers and scone parties for her grandchildren and their friends. She was the first person to call them on their birthdays. She taught them how to knit, make chocolate pudding from scratch and bake bread. She read books with them and attended their concerts and sporting events. She was their Cyber Grammy, an early adopter of computer technology so she could stay in close touch with them on Facebook and by email.

She is survived by her six children: Gary N. Anderson (Sheryl); Vicky Fay Johnson (Don); Kevin Anderson (Pat); Wendy Western (Bob); Travis Anderson (Heidi); and Lori Watts (Mike); her two sisters Wanda Allen and Wanee Welch; two of her brothers Glen Israelsen and Dee Israelsen; 28 grandchildren and 48.5 great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband and six brothers.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 23, 2016, at 12 pm at the LDS chapel at 2750 North 800 East in North Logan, UT, 84341. Viewings will be held Friday, April 22, from 6-8 pm, at the Nelson Funeral Home, 162 East 400 North in Logan, UT and from 10 am to 11:30 am on Saturday at the church. Interment will be at her beloved North Logan Memorial Park & Cemetery.

Her family wishes to thank all of her dear friends around the world who have enriched her life.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in the name of Eva Fay Israelsen Anderson for scholarships in connection with the Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University.
Condolences and memories may be shared online at www.nelsonfuneralhome.com