Cathryn Jo Andersen Shearer

Our beloved, sweet, precious Cathryn Jo Andersen Shearer passed away on December 26, 2025, in Orem, Utah, as a result of an infection. She was received into the arms of her Savior and her loving parents, Elvira Ward Andersen and Lester V Andersen. Cathryn was born to Lester and Elvira on April 10, 1951, in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Her siblings are Gloria Barnhouse, Thayne Andersen, Arben Andersen, and Marilyn Poulsen.

Cathryn met the love of her life, Hal Preston Shearer, when they were in high school in Idaho Falls. The sweethearts were married on August 21, 1973, and celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary in 2025. Their beautiful marriage will go on forever. As her favorite song says, “we were just kids when we fell in love” and “we are still kids, but we’re so in love.” And as Cathryn said, “Hal has always been my best friend, and he always will be.”

“All because two people fell in love,” a beautiful family came to be. Cathryn loves her family which includes her son Todd, his wife Nicki, and their children Locke and Scarlett; her daughter Jill, her husband Ken, and their children Emma, Emma’s husband Jared and son Clark, Katie, and Eliza; her son Wade, his wife Ivana, and their children Paisley, Max, Lila, and Afton; and her daughter Wendy, her husband Anthony (Tony), and their children Alexander, Zachary, and Victor. Each member of her family was and is so blessed to have her love and to be a precious child or grandchild of such a wonderful person. She always made each of us feel beloved and believed in.

Cathryn personifies love, kindness, faith, and joy. She devoted her life to nurturing and creating relationships and showing love to her loved ones. Her presence brought so much joy, sweetness, friendship, laughter, comfort, and color to our lives.

She made lifelong friends wherever she lived, including in Idaho Falls, Provo, Clinton, Kaysville, and Orem. As a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, wherever she lived, she constantly served others in many official and unofficial capacities. She loved serving in a YSA ward, where she made deep connections, and served as a missionary at the Lindon Home Storage Center. She treasured her faith, especially her belief in Jesus and in eternal families.

In addition to family, friends, and her faith, Cathryn also loves Hawaii, the beach, giraffes, sea turtles, the color purple, singing, ukelele, jewelry, fashion, great deals, Hallmark movies, tea parties, soft fabric, holiday decorations, appetizers, hot fudge sauce, pickles, love songs, good jokes, inspirational posts on Facebook, blue hydrangeas, and more.

We will always be profoundly grateful for how deeply we love and are loved by our Cathryn and for how that love will bless our lives forever. She has taught us everything we need to know going forward: be kind, love others, love God, and trust that everything will be alright.

We will miss so much her softly enveloping hugs, her couch-shaking laughter, her happily sparkling eyes, her adorable outfits, her precious responses to everything we shared with her, her excitement about everything that matters to us, her always-flowing optimism, her delight in small things, and her calming, joy-bringing presence. She will always be everything to us.

Her life was a beautiful love story, bursting with love for God, for family, for friends, and for the small joys in life. Her eternity will be a continuation of that same love story where she will be familiar with her Savior because she lives like him, and where one day we can hug her again and rejoice in our forever family.

An evening viewing for family and friends will be held on Friday, January 2, 2026, from 6-8 pm at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 762 East 1200 North, Orem. Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 3, 2026, at the same LDS Chapel, with a viewing held that morning at the church from 9:30-10:30 am prior to the services. Interment will be in the Orem City Cemetery, 1520 North 800 East, Orem, Utah.

Condolences for the family may be expressed on this page.