Merrill and Enid Anderson resident article

One thing about this article is the week after I sat down with them and wrote this up Merrill passed away. What a great opportunity I had to sit down and get to know these two wonderful people.  

Getting to Know: Merrill and Enid Anderson

            Enid Massey (Anderson) was born August 22, 1923 in Vernal Utah, to John and Gladys Massey. She had ten siblings six girls and four boys. Enid lived on a five acre farm in Vernal. She loved to help plant and take care of the garden along with going and playing in the stream that ran through their property. They had various animals on their farm she would have to help feed and take care of. She remembers they had to ride a horse or walk if they wanted to go into town.

                When she was about twelve years old she got a sled for Christmas and she would sled down the hill by her house. She also like to gather snow and make home made ice cream.

            When Enid graduated high school she worked in a factory making radio tubes. And when the war broke out Enid and her friend went to join the Navy. They were sent to New York for training and then to the base across the bay from Sandiago, where she worked in the 11th Navel district headquarters as a typist for two years.

            Merrill Reynolds Anderson was born April 23rd 1916 in Vernal to Fred and Della Anderson. He had three siblings one brother and two sisters. He lived on a farm also. He loved to ride horses. Some of his chores were to milk and feed the cows every morning. His favorite memory was a time when he helped his father dig a well by their house.

            His favorite Christmas memory was when he was 14, him and his brother Clyde went to bed early and got up the next morning before their dad and did the chores as a gift to his father so he wouldn't have to get out of bed. His favorite gift was a pair of boxing gloves. His parents would hide their presents in the attic.

            When he was sixteen he use to herd sheep as his first job. One night during a massive storm he was out watching the sheep when he thought he heard a woman's scream. The next morning he told his boss what he thought he heard and his boss told him that it wasn't a woman but a mountain lion.

            Merrill went on a mission to Chicago when he was twenty-three years old. He joined the Navy and was there for four years. He fought in WWll.

            Enid grew up with Merrill but never really knew him because he was older. Enid met Merrill one day visiting her sister after she returned home from the Navel base after the war was over. They dated a few times before Enid asked why he wasn't married yet and he replied, "I can't find anyone to marry me." She smiled at him and said, "I will, all you have to do is ask."

            Enid and Merrill were married on April 3rd 1945 in the Salt Lake temple. They had four kids, three boys and one girl. They stayed in Vernal for five years then moved to LaBarge Wyoming for twelve years then moved to Kemmerer for eight years. All the while Merrill worked for Chevron Oil. He was with them for thirty years. Merrill was a bishop twice, a stake President, and a stake Patriarch.

They moved back to Orem Utah in 1987 and have been here for twenty-five years. They moved to the Seville on April 16th 2011. They think it is a great place to live. Their peice of advice to all is stay honest and true and don't be judgemental of people.