In loving memory
Long-time San Diego resident Grant S. Anderson passed away peacefully on April 20 at the age of 96. Born in Salt Lake City September 8, 1913, Grant grew up loving sports, music and drama and enjoying the warmth of a close extended family. The son of Christian Nephi Anderson and Maud Rebecca Symons, he attended Webster Elementary School, Roosevelt Junior High, LDS High School and the University of Utah. As a young boy he could be found until dark on the school grounds playing marbles. Later football, baseball and basketball occupied a good deal of his leisure time. In junior high school he was in musical operettas and enjoyed biking. Through high school he was on the football and swimming teams and sang in the male and mixed LDS choruses and played basketball and tennis in the church M. Men program.
Grant’s father was an early author, educator, editor and genealogist in the Church. Under the name Nephi Anderson he published ten novels, the most popular being Added Upon. His writing career also included short stories, poetry and non-fiction. After his father’s death when he was nine years old, Grant grew up surrounded by loving brothers and sisters, his mother and her large, close family. All his siblings preceded him in death. Stories of growing up in the old Tenth Ward of Salt Lake’s Liberty Stake were happy remembrances throughout his life. His uncle, Lynn Simmons, operated the photo concession in the bathing department at Saltair. He took Grant along as apprentice and protégé and taught him the photography business. This was the beginning of what would become a lifetime career and passion.
During the Great Depression, Grant and his family struggled to make ends meet without a father in the home. In 1933 he signed up with the Civilian Conservation Corps and was sent to the Blue Springs Camp, located south of Cedar City, Utah, in the mountains above Zion National Park. He took pride in the knowledge that he was able to help beautify the park by planting trees and readying the park for visitors. While there, he played on the camp baseball team, traveling to a number of towns in Southern Utah for tournaments. He also obtained equipment to set up a photo finishing business in the camp and processed many of his friends’ pictures.
In 1935, Grant was called to serve in the California Mission, which at that time included all of California and parts of Nevada and Arizona. He was set apart for his mission on May 15 of that year by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, a family friend. After laboring in San Bernadino, Needles and Los Angeles, he was assigned as the editor of the mission paper. While in Los Angeles, as well as editing and publishing the paper, he drove the mission car and had a weekly radio program on station KMRT, Hollywood. As a missionary he met with and chauffeured President Heber J. Grant and J. Golden Kimball. Late in his mission Grant served as the District President in the San Diego District, where he spent the remainder of his mission. There were no stakes in San Diego in 1936, so he was the Presiding Elder in the area, which included San Diego County, Imperial County and Yuma, Arizona. He kept busy traveling between the six branches in the area, working with twelve to fourteen missionaries assigned to his district. As part of this assignment, he organized firesides among young adults, resulting in converts who later became leaders in the Church and in Stakes in these areas.
In October 1941, Grant married Elizabeth Allen in Salt Lake City, where they began their married life. With the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December of that year and the declaration of war, Grant enlisted in the US Navy as an aerial photographer and camera repairman. Most of his time in the service was spent in the New Hebrides Islands (now Vanuatu). From this base he flew dozens of reconnaissance missions over the South Pacific, straddling an opening in the bellies of seaplanes to take aerial photographs. In 1944 he was sent to San Francisco and then back to San Diego where he remained until the war was over. Here Grant and Beth purchased their first home on Alabama Street in North Park. While living in the San Diego First Ward he served as President of the YMMIA and as a Stake Missionary and Sunday School teacher. He also coached basketball and softball. Four children were born to the couple while they lived in North Park, Jana Lee, who died in infancy; Grant Allen, Christian Nephi and Wendy Lynn.
Grant’s photography career led him to work for the Navy Electronics Laboratory, a research and development laboratory, as part of the photo department. He worked as a field photographer, did portraiture, oscilloscope presentations, and photo processing. In 1954 the family moved to Pt. Loma to be closer to Grant’s work. Grant and Beth served in various callings in the Sixth Ward as they raised their family. Most notably Grant served as a counselor to Bishop Kenneth Willardson for nine years. He continued to play church ball and coached his sons in Little League baseball. After retiring in 1973, the Andersons enjoyed traveling and, of course, photography. Grant and Beth served a mission in 1983-84 as coordinators at the San Diego Genealogical department and the church bookstore on Tenth Avenue. In 1986 they moved to a new home in Carlsbad, where Grant enjoyed hobbies that included golf, stained glass and clock making.
After Beth’s passing in 1988, Grant continued to practice his favorite activities - sports and photography - and enjoyed many friendships in the Encinitas First Ward. In 1995 illness required one last move, to live with his daughter Wendy in the Penasquitos Third Ward. He is survived by sons Grant Allen Anderson of South Jordan, Utah and Christian Nephi Anderson of New Albany, Indiana, daughter Wendy Platt, fourteen grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
I have so many memories of Papa! Starting in 1996 when I moved back to San Diego and started palling around with Jana again. He was there through our fun single days, marriages and babies! He is a staple in all my wonderful Platt memories.
ReplyDeleteThis a great idea Wendy!! I loved reading even more about your Dad than I already knew. I loved having your Dad in our ward the last 15 years. I loved his laugh, his warm hand shakes - yes, they were warm and friendly but I mean 'WARM'. My hands were always cold and he would always warm them up :) I loved his smile and his laugh, and I always loved his response when I noticed he had got his hair cut. He'd get a little smile and kind of act a little embarrassed that I had even noticed. Then he would be quick to point out you were his barber :) Yesterday I was thinking about him and remembering his blue one piece mechanics jumper thing he would wear. It made me smile :) I will miss seeing him in church every week...actually I've missed that for awhile. He was a wonderful man and I loved him. I'm so glad that we had the opportunity to get to know him a little. I loved that our ward had a "Grandpa" for my kids to see and be around since they had no grandparents living nearby. We love your family!!
ReplyDeleteP.S. You do know that you can get blogs printed in book format don't you? After this blog has been up awhile and you feel like you've got all the responses you are going to get you should get it bound and printed to keep all the wonderful things that are said and written. Fred has information on it that he would be happy to share with you.
Thanks for posting this Wendy. I had to laugh at the comment about your dad not even knowing what a blog is! He, I'm sure, is happy to see this. Thanks for sharing details of his life. I have missed seeing him in church. Thank you for sharing him with the ward. He will be missed, but think of the grand reunion! I'm sure you have.
ReplyDeleteThis was really cool to read and get to know him better. What a cool life. I really enjoyed seeing a picture of him back in his younger days! Wish I could be there for the funeral. I Love your family!
ReplyDeleteWendy, I feel like I know your dad after reading about him and his wonderful life. NOW he knows what "a blog" and I am sure he is smiling with pride in all that YOU have done for and with him in those many years! You and your family and his many friends will miss him--for sure--how wonderful that we all know where he is and who he is sharing conversations with---may you be blessed and comforted at this time!!
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