Bryce Gilbert Bertelson Obituary (1920 - 2008)

Provo - On Tues 18 Mar 2008, a giant among men passed from our midst and returned to his eternal Father. Bryce Bertelson was born 31 Dec 1920 in Ephraim, Utah to Folmer and Alice Mae Dalton Bertelson. He died 18 Mar. 2008, of causes incident to age. He died as he lived – dignified, honorable, and without complaint. He married Luzon Fjeldsted 20 Sep. 1941, in Ephraim, Utah. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple. She passed away 22 Sep. 1963. Bryce and Luzon had one son – Gilbert M. Bertelson. Bryce married Edna Jensen Ottosen on 19 Aug. 1964, and in so doing he gained two step sons, Dick and Doug Ottosen, and a step daughter, Gayle Ottosen. Edna passed away 24 Feb. 1989. He married Bernita Anderson Gillette 20 Dec. 1989. She passed away 26 Apr. 2006. He was a gracious and caring man who was totally devoted to his family and each of his wives, whom he faithfully served as husband, friend, and primary care giver as needed. Early in life he learned the value of hard work. His summer days were spent in the fields but his steady job was delivering the Salt Lake Tribune EVERY morning for 14 years, beginning at age 6, and continuing until he graduated from Snow College at age 20. He served 3 years in the Pacific theater as an officer in the US Army Transportation Corp (water division) ferrying troops to and from the area. One of his cherished memories was being involved in bringing home 1,000 recently released American POW’s from the Philippines and Bataan. He graduated from Snow College and attended BYU for one year prior to enlisting in the service. He later received both bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Utah. Professionally, he spent 36 years working in the Murray City School district. Twenty six of those years were at Murray High School where he taught for 10 years followed by 4 years as Assistant Principal and 12 years as Principal. In his capacity as teacher, mentor, principal, and friend, he influenced for good the lives of literally thousands of people. He spent the last 10 years of his professional career as an administrator in the Murray School District office. He is a past president of the Utah High School Activities Association. He is survived by his son – Gil (Loye) of Provo,UT; step sons Dick Ottosen (Diane) of Wenatchee, WA. and; Doug Ottosen (Lesley), SLC, UT; a stepdaughter Gayle Engh (Doug), SLC, UT; by 15 grand children, numerous great grand children of the Bertelson, Ottosen, and Gillette families; a sister Janet Hinckley (Bryce), SLC, UT; and a brother Arlo (Dae), Round Rock, TX. He was preceded in death by his parents, his three wives, and two bothers –Dwight and Chad. Funeral services will be held at the Valley View 12th Ward - 2125 E. Evergreen Ave (3435 So.) SLC on Tues Mar 25, 2008 at 11:00 AM. A viewing will be held on Monday Mar 24, 2008, at the Jenkins-Soffe Mortuary, 4760 So. State, Murray, UT from 6 – 8 PM. There will also be a short viewing period prior to the funeral at the church, beginning at 10:00 AM until 10:45 AM Tuesday. Interment will be at the Elysian Burial Gardens, SLC, UT.