Sheryl "Sher" Anderson

Sheryl “Sher” Louise (Grade) Anderson, passed away on March 31st, 2023 after a brave battle with cancer. She arrived in the world on September 3rd, 1954 in Carroll, Iowa, the eldest of six children born to Louis and Doris Grade. Growing up, she loved and helped to look after her younger siblings (Trish, Dan, Julie, Gene and Kathy). An accomplished musician (she played the piano and saxophone and loved to sing), Sher worked as a church organist for many years (beginning at the age of 12!).

Sher was fascinated by people, their thoughts and relationships and completed her undergraduate studies in Psychology at Iowa State University. It was there that she met her lifelong partner, David “Andy” Anderson. They met through a shared love of music. Sher’s kindness and interest in people were remarkable to Andy (she took him to communication and parenting classes while they still dating!) and they both quickly realized that they made a good team. They were married on bright summer day on July 12th, 1975. Their adventures together took them onwards to California and then Nebraska and in those years, Andy earned a PhD in Microbiology and Sher a Nursing degree (with a specialization in Obstetrics).

As a Labor and Delivery nurse, Sher was ahead of her time in her approach to natural childbirth that was respectful to mothers and babies (she was a proponent of the Golden Hour bonding time long before it became standard practice in hospitals). Eventually, Sher chose to train as a lay midwife. Delivering babies and teaching childbirth classes led to her lifelong career as an educator. She taught classes on an astonishing range of topics from contraception to nutrition to many aspects of wholistic medicine. Sher was always ready to help and if someone was in trouble, she would do everything she could (including staying up all night on the phone to see them through). She saved more than one life.

Sher and Andy found their home in Logan, UT in 1983 (when Andy began teaching at Utah State University). Alongside her other projects, Sher homeschooled their two children and gave them a remarkable education that set the stage for undergraduate and then graduate degrees and careers they loved. Sher was a devout Christian, an admirer of beauty everywhere and was avidly interested in the world and people. Her very favorite thing was long, vivid conversations with the people she loved.

Sher is survived by her husband Andy and her children Lara (and James) Gray and Luke (and Sarah) Anderson and her grandsons Gabriel and Benjamin Gray, as well as her dad Lou and siblings Trish Titus, Dan (and Lori) Grade, Gene (and Deb) Grade, and Kath (and Kevin) Schroeder and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her mom Doris and sister Julie. We loved her dearly and will miss her always.

Her friends are invited to join us for a remembrance of her life on Saturday, April 8th at the First Presbyterian Church in Logan, UT. A visitation reception will be held 10-11 AM and a memorial service at 11 AM. In lieu of flowers, her family asks that donations in her honor be given to The Family Place, https://thefamilyplaceutah.org/give/donate .