Gale Anderson

Gale Yancey Anderson, 90, our beloved father, brother and friend, passed from our presence at home in Chubbuck, Idaho, on July 19, 2024. He joined his loving wife, LaJuan, whom he has sorely missed for the past 19 years.

He touched the lives of all who knew him—and he will be greatly missed.

Gale was born on March 5, 1934 to Jared Oliver and Sylvia May Anderson in Pocatello, Idaho. Gale entered an already large family of sister Alice Mae (Colton) and brothers Melvin, Paul, Mark and Carl and was then joined by brother Joel four years later. Two years after that, sister Celia died in childbirth which caused the death of his dear mother Sylvia just a week later. However, the family was soon blessed by Alice Haroldsen who for Gale became "That Wonderful Mother of Mine." On June 14, 1942, at the age of eight, he was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Later that same year the family welcomed youngest brother John Oliver.

His parents purchased a five-acre tract of land out in the county north of Pocatello and he lived his growing-up years in that home on Yellowstone Highway. This was in a large country ward with a huge group of very active teenagers. LaJuan's family moved into the ward while she was young and they became childhood sweethearts; she stole his heart and never gave it back. During this time Gale and LaJuan enjoyed many activities together with their friends, including youth firesides, softball games, Gold and Green Balls and Ward Choir. Gale was an exceptional tennis player and a member of the drama club at Pocatello High School, graduating in 1952. Gale attended BYU until he received his mission call to Uruguay right after his 19th birthday—he was one of only two missionaries called from his Stake as it was the years of the Korean War and church missionaries were restricted to only two per Stake. He was able to use his Spanish skills throughout the rest of his life. After his mission, Gale again attended BYU, graduating with highest honors with a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics.

Gale and LaJuan were married on June 21, 1957 in the Idaho Falls temple and "lived happily ever after," and he considered it "heaven on earth" to live with his eternal companion. At their reception that evening they were able to have a profusion of late-blooming lilacs found on a high mountain road on the way to Arbon Valley. They lived in Twin Falls, Pocatello and Inkom, and then set out for Champaign-Urbana, IL, where Gale completed a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering being scholastically at the head of the class. After graduate school the family returned to Idaho and in 1965 moved into their new home on Whitaker Road, and have been involved in the greater Pocatello community ever since.

For many summers Gale and LaJuan shared exciting white water rafting adventures on the Salmon River with a very special group of young married friends.

Throughout his life Gale was active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving in numerous callings such as Stake Superintendent of M.I.A., Branch Presidency Counselor, Home Teacher, Bishop, High Counselor and most recently as Stake Patriarch, giving 1,421 blessings over the span of 48 years. In 2001-2002, Gale and LaJuan fulfilled a mission in the Family and Church History Mission, Salt Lake City, Utah. He loved his assignment in the Church archives, where he personally took images of old original church history journals and documents for preservation. In his mission letter to family, he commented that, “With white gloves on, I was holding, turning the pages of, and reading the ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT of the history of the church!” As a Patriarch, he was particularly excited that on July 30, 2001 he was even able to see “… page 1 of volume 1 of patriarchal blessings—the handwritten official record of the first one given in this dispensation, by Father Smith to Hyrum Smith!”

Jared, Gale’s father, was one of the original owners who established a retail coal yard in Pocatello which would become AnderSons, Inc. Gale started working there when he was just six years old, sweeping the coal office and he continued working there throughout his youth. Following his mission in Uruguay and his engineering studies in Illinois, he returned home to Pocatello to devote full time to the business. After his father retired, Gale owned and managed the company for almost 40 years until turning over the business operations to his son Klane. However, Gale remained actively involved in the business and continued to work at AnderSons, Inc. the rest of his life, even on his last day on earth. In 2023, one of Gale’s proudest moments was celebrating the 100-year anniversary of AnderSons, Inc., during which time he spent hundreds of hours poring over historical business records. He was loved and respected by employees, customers and vendors.

Gale loved the mountains and was an avid hiker. He led several church youth groups on backpacking trips, but most of all loved to have his children join him on his outdoor adventures. He also enjoyed playing Rook and Triominos, singing duets with LaJuan and, like his father, spent many years growing fresh produce in his home garden.

Gale was preceded in death by his sweet wife LaJuan, his parents Jared, Sylvia and Alice, sister Celia, sister Alice Mae and her husband Glade, brother Melvin and his wife Marjorie, brother Paul and his wives Gunhild and Lois, brothers Mark, Carl and John Oliver. He is survived by his brother Joel and his wife Gail, sisters-in-law Marilyn and Rosalin, his children Kenneth and his wife Fe, Richard, Julie and her husband Ray, Klane and his wife Kelley, Eric and his wife Tiffany, and Celia and her husband Randy, 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be Friday, August 9 at 11 a.m. at the Pocatello LDS North Stake Center, 4890 Whitaker Road, with Bishop Monte Ward of the Whitaker Ward officiating. The family will receive friends Thursday, August 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Wilks Funeral Home, 211 W. Chubbuck Road, and Friday from 10 to 10:45 a.m. at the church. Interment will be in Restlawn Memorial Gardens.

Memories and condolences may be shared by visiting the Guestbook below.

To make a donation to the Church in his memory, visit https://churchofjesuschrist.org/donations.