Anna Belle Daines Johnson Neuberger, 80, passed away in Salt Lake City, Utah on Thursday, July 28, 2022, surrounded by her family. She was born January 3, 1942, in Logan, Utah, to Benjamin Francis Johnson and Jennie Marie Daines Johnson. Anna Belle loved being raised in the close-knit farming community of Beaver Dam where many of her Johnson relatives also lived. As the oldest child, she was her father’s helper and worked side by side with him on many daily chores. She would drive the green 1950 Chevrolet grain truck to deliver wheat to the Farmers Grain Coop in Ogden, traveling back and forth, up to three times a day for each harvest. She was always so proud to tell us how she was the one child responsible for the daily task of selecting the rooster, chopping its head and plucking its feathers in preparation for family dinner. The work ethic instilled in her early on as a farm girl, remained with her the rest of her life.

She attended Bear River High School and received her Bachelors degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Speech Pathology from Utah State University. Anna Belle married her sweetheart Brian Madson Neuberger in the Logan Temple on March 20, 1964. After graduation, they lived in Chicago, Illinois and Bloomington, Indiana, where Brian attended Northwestern and Indiana University for his Masters and Doctorate degrees. She taught school for one year at Jesse Spalding in Chicago and always spoke about those sweet school children with such fondness.

She was a devoted wife to her husband, Brian, in all his duties and responsibilities and they often took advantage of sabbaticals that enabled them to live in various cities across the country, namely; San Diego, Salt Lake City, McLean, Virginia and Paradise Valley, Arizona. Together they raised 5 children: Christopher (Julie) Neuberger of Holladay, Utah; Elizabeth (Martin) Miller of South Jordan, Utah; Alexandra (Michael) Gray of Phoenix, Arizona; Mercedes (Alan) Beck of Pacific Palisades, California; and Ashley (Andrew) Clark of South Jordan, Utah.

Brian and Anna Belle were married for 31 years until his untimely passing at the age of 53. A widow of 27 years, she faced life’s challenges head-on and with tremendous strength and resiliency. Never one to complain, she quickly adapted to each and every hurdle life threw in her direction and made sure that each of her children were raised with the love, education, spiritual guidance and parenting that would ensure their success as adults.

As an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Anna Belle served in many callings. She served on several committees, in the Relief Society, Young Women’s and Primary organizations. She was a true disciple of Christ and in all aspects of her life served Him in every way possible. She loved to study the scriptures and enhanced her learning by listening to Book of Mormon audiotapes and watching YouTube Come Follow Me lessons. One of her favorite things was attending Brother McConkie’s weekly Institute classes. She regularly mailed copies of articles, recipes, photos, newspaper clippings and financial advice to her children.

She was known by all who knew and loved her to quickly respond with a “bread and butter” note as a thank you. If it wasn’t hand-written, it wasn’t sufficient. She was a stickler about cultivating proper manners and always expected her children and grandchildren to follow suit. Her highest calling in life was being a mother to her five children and a loving grandmother to 19 grandchildren. She devoted her time, wisdom, and unconditional love to create special bonds with each and every one of them. She was lovingly known as “Gaga” and her unique way of celebrating each grandchild’s birthday was gifting them a card stapled with 2 dollar bills inside.

Anna Belle was a very talented artist and loved working on acrylic paintings in her free time. She took several art classes during the course of her life and her artwork is framed and displayed around her home and on personalized notecards. She loved flowers and each spring took great pride in planting her English garden with geraniums, impatiens and alyssum being a few of her annual favorites. Tending to the flowers and plants in her yard was truly a cherished pastime that gave her a special sense of pride and joy. She loved cooking for her family and had her recipes published for each of her children so they could follow the tradition of preparing her timeless, delicious meals in their own homes. Her favorite foods were potatoes and tomatoes and her favorite spices were salt, pepper and butter. She also enjoyed a daily Coke with no ice. Her trademark look was a classic brown bob, red lipstick, sparkly red nail polish and a chic head-to-toe outfit. She loved traveling, road-trips, museums, hotel stays and sleep-overs with her grandchildren. She cherished time spent with family and always looked forward to family reunions at Bear Lake. She also loved driving up to Beaver Dam to visit the family home which usually included trips to Logan. Her most beloved holiday was Memorial Day and she looked forward to the Johnson family reunion picnic every year.

She was wise, frank, humorous, classy, fashionable, compassionate and made many enduring friendships over her lifetime that still remain today. She was the very best friend to each of her children and knew how to make all her loved ones feel so very special and adored. She lived out the last 21 years of her wonderful life in her most favorite city, in the shadow of Mount Olympus and in the home she loved more than anything. Nothing made her more happy than to spend time in her beautiful home doing all the things she loved most. Anna Belle treated her daughters to one final treasured trip: an Alaskan cruise on the Holland America Eurodam this past May. An experience filled with so many indelible memories that we, her daughters, will cherish them for the rest of our lives.

Anna Belle is survived by four daughters, 19 grandchildren, and one brother, Benjamin Johnson Jr of Beaver Dam, Utah. She is preceded in death by her husband, Brian Madson Neuberger, her son, Christopher Brian Neuberger, her sisters, Susan and Marijane, and her parents Benjamin Francis Johnson and Jennie Marie Daines.