July 29, 1927 ~ December 15, 2020 (age 93)Our beloved Father and grandfather, Herbert N. Pedersen, passed peacefully at home on December 15, 2020, of natural causes.
He was born to Oliver C. and Phoebe Gold Gedge Pedersen on July 29, 1927, in Salt Lake City, Utah, the oldest of ten children.
Possessed of a keen and inquiring intellect, Herbert was a lifelong learner. As a young man, he attended the University of Utah and Brigham Young University where he obtained Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Physics and Mathematics and met his future wife.
His early working life was spent at Boeing where he worked on the Minuteman Missile project and the 747 Design Team. He spent many years working in nuclear research and development, and finished his career at Morton Thiokol where he worked on the Challenger Disaster Investigation Team. During his career, he was awarded many US patents.
He served in the Army as part of the occupation forces in Japan during the immediate aftermath of WWII, and also in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War. In between those two adventures, he served as an LDS missionary for 2 ½ years in the Danish Mission at the same time as his brothers Herschel and Keith.
He married Marva Jeanne Kimball in the Salt Lake Temple on September 15, 1955. Together they had six children. Marva Jeanne was ill for many, many years and heroically, Herbert took care of her until she passed away shortly after their 51st wedding anniversary.
In retirement, he spent his time doing genealogy work, studying scripture, indulging his passion for aeronautics, fixing everyone’s computers, building firearms, working in the temple, building a cabin, reading voraciously, and spending time with his loved ones. We miss him deeply.
Herbert is survived by his children Andrea (Corwin) Slack, Lise (Eric) Wenstrom, Howard (Nellie), Alan (Rebecca), and Karyn (Troy) Jensen, siblings Keith, Gilbert, Gaylen, Karen Braithwaite, and Phoebe Eason, 24 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren with one more expected in January.
He is predeceased by his parents and grandparents, siblings Herschel, Kent, Elray, Remore Gerber, and a son, Vaughn.
The family would like to thank their sister Karyn, and sister-in-law, Nellie for their kind and loving care of their father during his final weeks. It is a gift we can never repay.
Funeral services will be at 11:00am on Tuesday, December 22, 2020, at Myers Mortuary, 205 South 100 East, Brigham City, Utah. Viewings will be Monday, December 21, from 6:00 – 8:00pm and Tuesday, from 9:30 – 10:30am. The family requests that those attending follow social distancing guidelines and wear masks as recommended by the CDC.
Interment with military honors will be at Larkin Sunset Memorial Gardens in Sandy, Utah.
A live stream of the service can be viewed by clicking here.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Brigham Young University’s physics department in Herbert’s name.
Special thanks to Bristol Hospice for their care in Herbert’s final days.
Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at Myers Mortuary.