Love Summer!

Splish-Splash!

It's time to document ...

another one of Cody's FIRSTS ....

Swimming Lesson

July 13, 2009

Joseph Fjelsted Gundersen Funeral

Joseph Fjelsted Gundersen 

November 24, 1916 - July 7, 2009

Son of Orson Wilford Gundersen & Ingeborg Johanna Terjesen

For Obituary (by Jane Evans) scroll to the bottom of this page

Funeral Service

Saturday, July 11, 2009

1925 Gundersen Lane, Holladay, UT

Talks; Deb Dowdle (life sketch), John Gundersen (Talk: love of Country and God), Louis Lindon Madsen (Stories of Uncle Joe)

Music: Be Still My Soul (everyone), Cradle Me Lord (Laura Hobbs, Jan Hansen, Tina Paulos and Jolynn Collins), How Great Thou Art (Sherrie Larsen, Vicky Matthews, Sandy Allred, Kristy Bleazard & Cindy Cole - Uncle Grant's daughters), I Wonder When He Comes Again (by Joe Gundersen's posterity accompanied by Jan Hansen). Our final song was fittingly ... Sing Your Way Home

Our wonderful Great Uncle Grant has loved and cared for Grandpa for many many years. He is just younger than Grandpa and they were very close growing up. We love our Uncle Grant. He has been a shining star to this family and a great example.

My boys, Shawn and Cody, say goodbye to their Great Grandpa

Aunt Jane says goodbye to her Dad. We love our Auntie Jane.

Cousin Laura says goodbye. We're so grateful for her help and kindness.

The final three brothers. Joe (in the casket), Grant, David and John

My cute family, Eric, Cody and Shawn

My little Squishy 

Es and Dinah

Jolynn's daughters; Right to left (oldest to youngest), Deb, Dinah, Esther, Jane and Claire

Throw mom in the mix ... as it should be

Baby Gabe and Uncle Eric

I like my cooky Uncle Eric ... yea ... he's kind of cool

Cousin Jake and Ethan

A nice big picture display of Grandpa and his family

Dave and Grandpa. Of all the grandkids, Dave looks most like the young Grandpa.

Aunt Jane's family

A cozy nook for sleeping

Shawn and Rob chatting ... probably about computers???

Our two baby sisters, Jane and Claire (and baby Gabe)

It's us ... Eric and Deb Dowdle

It's a row of sitters in the viewing room

Cousin Tom Whitley saying goodbye

More wall flowers

Cousins, Dave and Jake

Getting ready for the family prayer

Deb and Dinah

Kirstina, Orion and Mom

Yes, little Gabe ... that's your mother!

Spooky pose with Uncle Eric

Claire and little Sumo!

Mike and Kirstina with Grandpa. They went with Mom and Grandpa to Norway and became quite close to him at that time. 

Kissing Little O's tears away...

... with some help from a binkie

Yes, another wall picture

Uncle Jim, Rob and little Kimmy

Pulling Dad's tie. What would little girls do without their daddies?

Mom and Grandpa. Mom is his oldest daughter and has cared for him for a very long time. She is an amazing woman and worthy of GREAT honor. We love you Mom!

Cousin Liz with her two oldest, Zach and Miranda

The nursery was well used

Will's cute family; Jaime and Ashton 

Taking the casket to the hearse 

Grandpa's pallbearers; Will Collins, Dave Collins, Jacob Evans, Mike Collins, Zach McKenzie, Austin Warren, Shawn Thompson and 

We love our pallbearers! Thanks for your wonderful help.

Josh at Serenicare was fantastic from step one of the arrangements to the end. I never understood how much funeral directors did until now. 

Granny talking to Josh about next steps. Granny handled the funeral with such grace. She's holding Kimmy. Rob's holding Ethan. Audrey is at Granny's skirt.

My tall pallbearer. What a wonderful son I have!

Cody and Caleb happy to be out of the "sit still and be quiet"

Ethan's had it!

Kirstina and Orion, Grandma and Gabriel

Great Grand Babies:

Top Left: Orion Collins (Mike & Kirstina), Gabriel Landa (Claire and Renzo), Luke Zonts (Esther and Justin),  Ashton Collins (Will and Jaime), Kimberly (Jane and Rob)

Great Uncle David and Jane 

Preparing to dedicate the grave

Uncle Jack and Aunt Betty talk to the Bishop who presided at the funeral

My cute brothers, Will, Mike and Dave

Goof-offs!

Cousins, Shawn and Austin are first-time pallbearers 

Taking Grandpa to his final resting place

Placing the flowers

Uncle Jim prepares for the dedication

Shauna and Uncle Grant's Daughter being so supportive and kind

Cousin Lou's family shakes hands with Uncle Jim. Lou told marvelous stories and the funeral. What a great man he is!

Everyone was SO hungry. We went back to Uncle Jack and Aunt Betty's for lunch.

Poor Kimmy was parched!

Time to dish up! (Cousin Erik's peach cobbler ... yum)

Dave is having some baked beans

Kirstina chills with a nephew and two nieces (Cody, Audrey and Lydia) while she brings some R&R to little Orion

Rest Grandpa. Enjoy your wife and family on the other side of the veil. Until we meet again ...

Obituary by Jane Evans

Joseph Fjelssted Gundersen

Joseph Fjelsted Gundersen was born on November 24th, 1916 in a small log house near Iona, Bonneville

County, Idaho to Orson Wilford Gundersen and Ingeborg Johanna Terjesen. He was their fifth child. His

was a difficult birth. He was nearly 12 pounds at birth and he had some learning disabilities as a result.

The family moved back to Salt Lake City after the death of Orson’s mother, Ericka Ask Gundersen. They

later inherited her home at 1914 East Gundersen Lane and it has been in the family ever since. Four

more children brought the total of siblings to eight, Edith, Orson, Dorothy, Thomas, Grant, David, and

John. Mary passed away as a small infant of pneumonia. The others have all lived in Holladay, Utah

with the exception of Edith who primarily lived in Washington. Grant later moved to Grantsville, Utah.

Joseph attended Irving Jr. High and later Granite High school. He was a great athlete in high school, but

didn’t graduate. Joseph played all sports, but excelled at track and field. He became the boxing

champion of the State of Utah from Granite High. He also played on his family’s all brother’s basketball

team. They challenged any family teams to compete against them and they beat all comers. Dad was

very proud of his brother’s athletic abilities, many of whom also became state football or wrestling

champions. Dad had several sports related injuries. He broke his elbow ski jumping which kept him

from serving his country during WWII. He sustained a serious head injury in basketball. He also broke

his back in gymnastics.

Joseph served in the Central States Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‐day Saints from

1943‐45, which included Iowa and Nebraska. He sang on a religious radio program on Sunday mornings

which included duets with a Sister Missionary. He had a wonderful, rich, baritone voice. After returning

home, he encouraged his brother’s to start a barbershop quartet which they excelled at and took state

honors in for more than a generation since his nephew’s have carried on the family tradition. His love of

music is how he met the love of his life, Clara Jean Black. She was a member of a young adult choir

which performed around the Salt Lake City area and after a performance in his home ward in East

Millcreek, afterwards he complimented her and asked her on a date. He was very handsome and a good

dancer. He took her to a dance at the Old Mill and later proposed. They were married in the Salt Lake

Temple on March 3, 1948. He was 32. She was 22. They had three children, Jolynn, Jane and Kevin

Joseph. Unfortunately Jean passed away of cancer in April of 1958. Her untimely death devastated him.

He moved from Draper back to Holladay to enlist the help of his extended family in the care of his family

where he lived from 1959 until 2005 when his home caught fire. He was living in Grantsville at the time

of his death.

Joseph worked at Hill Air Force Base during WWII and sustained a work related brain injury disability

when he was thrown from a truck. It affected the rest of his career. He later worked for Utah Ore

Sampling Company for ten years, working his way up to supervisor before his wife’s death. He later

worked at the University of Utah as a Gardner. He was also employed as a janitor at the Church Office

Building of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‐day Saints for a time. He worked for his father’s

plastering business and later worked for his brother’s construction company. He sustained another

work related injury when he severed all four fingers on his right hand in a table saw accident. They were

reattached surgically, but were crooked thereafter. He also worked as a plumber’s helper.

Joseph married Lillis Baldwin Hansen on March 3, 1964. They had a son, Dalas, born December 3, 1964.

They divorced in 1966. He lost custody of all of his children after the divorce.

When Joseph retired, he became an avid tennis player. He entered several local tournaments and often

won against much younger opponents. He rode a bicycle over 10 miles a day until he was 90.

Joseph had a desire for learning. He bought a set of encyclopedia’s and was determined to read the

entire set, which he did. He read all 26 volumes from cover to cover and had a wealth of knowledge

even though he never completed high school. He also had a love of the scriptures which he gained from

his father. He read the Bible from cover to cover 10 times during his lifetime and was “plowing through

it” again before he passed away. He loved his country and the State of Utah where he lived and died.

He read the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of rights committing much of it to memory.

He also knew all of the presidents of the United States and a lot about each one. He loved studying

history past and present and was up on current events right up to the end of his life. He never lost his

beautiful singing voice and would “croon a tune” at every opportunity without much encouragement

from his family.

Dad was a very unique man who was true to his “beliefs” at any cost and was a person who, because of

his integrity, reflected back the character of anyone with whom he came in contact. He has certainly

earned his place in heaven. We love you Dad and will miss you.