Mesquite, NV – Nova Jean “Jeanie” Potter passed away peacefully in her home at the age of 74. She was born September 18, 1948 in San Bernadino, CA to Bobby Eugene Hamilton and Eunice Lorene Wright. She married Lowell Steven Potter in Mesquite, NV on August 30, 1974 and was later sealed in the St. George LDS Temple on January 26, 1977. Jeanie grew up in southern California and southern Nevada. She later moved to Mesquite, NV where she had her first daughter; Susan Raye Alexander. A couple years later, she met the love of her life, Lowell, and they had two more children: Leora Marell Hillius and Randon Dean Potter. She and Lowell loved spending time outdoors together hunting, fishing, and camping with their family. They had a love for music and for each other and could often be found square dancing. Jeanie worked in and around the food industry most of her life and shared that passion for cooking with her friends and family. She also enjoyed quilting and making blankets for her children and grandchildren. Jeanie also taught an ESL (English as a Second Language) class which allowed her to help several people receive their citizenship. This was an accomplishment in which she took great pride in. She is survived by her children: Leora Marell Hillius (daughter), Mesquite, NV; Randon Dean Potter (son), Mesquite, NV; and Kennedy Author Alexander (son-in-law), Beaver Dam, AZ; ten grandchildren; three great grandchildren; and her sister, Donna Sue (Don) Blake, Kannapolis (NC). She is preceded in death by her husband, Lowell Steven Potter; daughter, Susan Raye Alexander; son-in-law, Gary Hillius Jr.; and siblings, Peggy Lou (sister); Bobby Joe (brother); Antonio Grant (brother); and Anthony Grahm (brother). A Viewing will be held Tuesday, February 14, 2023 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. at the Whipple Chapel, 121 Elwin Whipple Way, Mesquite, NV. A Graveside Service will be held Wednesday, February 15, 2023, 11:00 a.m. at the Mesquite City Cemetery, 301 Hillside Drive, Mesquite, NV.

Elder Speed is from Kailua, Hawaii. He's been out for about 14 months and has been in Mesquite for the past 2 months. He also likes pickleball, so if you know any nonmembers that play pickleball, let him know. Elder Dobson is from Vancouver, Washington. He's been out for 1 year, and loves the outdoors and sharing the gospel!

Bonnie Kae (Andrus) Kerby passed away in her home with her husband, Joe Kent Kerby, by her side on January 30, 2023. She was born to Howard Phillip and Ila (King) Andrus on February 5, 1937, in Provo, Utah. Bonnie met Kent on a blind date, then later married him in the Salt Lake Temple. The sealing (marriage) was performed by Spencer W. Kimball when he was an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, on December 2, 1955. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend. She excelled at all of her responsibilities. She selflessly supported her husband in his educational and professional pursuits, including being the exclusive proofreader and typist for all of his books. She was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where she excelled at teaching and various church callings, including Stake Relief Society President, seminary teacher and compassionate service leader. Her childrens’ interests became her interests. Bonnie enjoyed listening to music, playing the piano, baking and service. She was eager to share; easy to love. She always showed love for others by giving them gifts. Bonnie and Kent love the people of Mesquite and there are so many examples of this. One experience illustrates this love. Often when we came to visit them, it was common for neighborhood kids to come and ring the doorbell, regardless of the season, and Mom would give them candy and would encourage them in their talents by having them play the piano or sing or dance. She embraced life. She loved to travel, having visited every state in the Union including Hawaii and living in 15 of its states, among them Alaska. Michigan, North Carolina and New Jersey. She lifted many friends with her special abilities. She enjoyed reading spiritual and uplifting books and has a massive doll collection. She will be remembered, loved and missed by all who knew her. Her family hopes to carry on some of her loving and caring practices. She is survived by her brother Phillip Andrus; her husband Kent; their 6 children: Joe Kerby, Stacey McComber, Kim Hildebrandt, Shawn Kerby, Julie Seitz, Bryce Kerby and their spouses; along with 28 grandchildren and 41 great grandchildren. Her parents and sister, Renon Blum, preceded her to heaven. A memorial service will be held February 20, 2023 at 4:00pm in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ stake center on north Arrowhead Lane, Mesquite, Nevada.

Sister Jerusha Bundy will serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She has been called to the Vancouver Canada mission For 18 months. Jerusha starts Home Missionary Training Feb 20th. Ryan and Angie Bundy of the Willows Ward are her parents. Sister Jerusha Bundy has been asked to speak on February 19, 2023 at 12:00 at the Mesquite Stake Center!

ST. GEORGE, UT (01/30/2023) — Utah Tech University students excelled in the classroom during the Fall 2022 semester with 1,282 UT students, or 10 percent of the student body, earning Inclusion on the President’s List requires students to complete a minimum of 15 credits and achieve a GPA of 3.9 or higher. The following students are among the 10 percent of the Utah Tech student body who earned President’s List honors for the Fall 2022 semester: Alejandra Camacho of Mesquite, NV Kameron Cox of Mesquite, NV Vanessa Guerrero of Mesquite, NV Marisol Jimenez of Mesquite, NV Taylor Marshall of Mesquite, NV Kynsli Peterson of Mesquite, NV Booker Wakefield of Mesquite, NV Marli Wakefield of Mesquite, NV “On behalf of the faculty and staff, congratulations to all Utah Tech students who made the 2022 Fall semester honor roll list,” said Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Michael Lacourse. “Your hard work and persistence have paid off and you should be proud of your achievement. Keep up the great work and we hope to see your name on the honor roll for the spring 2023 semester.”

Meet Hermana Peralta from Houston,TX and Hermana Jacobs from the Dominican Republic. They cover both Stakes for the Spanish work. Welcome!

A work day was held at the Relief Society house on Willow St. with a lot of people helping carry wooden door frames, and old lumber, while some were pulling staples out of the old linoleum covering the solid wood floor. The architectural features of the Tudor style are still on the exterior even though it had been covered in siding. Wes Carter said, “The original stove is at the museum and will eventually be brought back and installed in the same place in the front room. We have several sewing machines in storage that will be displayed and we have plans to put up quilts so people can come and experience quilting. The house could also be used for events as it has a large open space in the first room. The city will build a block wall and do the landscaping. Of most importance now is to get power to the house and new conduit put in.” The original house was only the back room – 10’ x15’ and the other rooms were added when the ladies in the Relief Society needed more space to quilt. Work days are planned on the 3rd Saturday of each month and anyone interested is invited to come and help with the repairs. Many thanks to the men, women and youth that came Saturday to help clean up inside. A benefit Pickleball Tournament is planned for March 7-9th at the Old Mill Courts. Proceeds of the event will go to the historical Relief Society House renovations. Men or women skill levels 3.0 and above are welcome. Early registration by February 17 includes a T-Shirt. Registration deadline is February 27. To register visit: Mesquite.Activityreg.com

The Mesquite Nevada Stake Conference was held Sunday, January 15 and a new West Stake was formed and the name of the stake was changed to Mesquite East Stake. Elder Clark G. Gilbert, a general Authority Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Elder Daren R. Barney, an Area Authority Seventy for the LDS church spoke at the conference. Elder Barney asked three questions, “What is truth? Is it possible for us to find truth in a world filled with misinformation and distractions? Where can we turn for truth?” His answer, “Seek truth in sources you can trust” and he listed sources to find pure truth - read the scriptures, seek personal revelation and follow the prophet - the watchman on the tower. It is good that we are reading the New Testament this year but we need to study the Book of Mormon more than any other. He remined us that Pres. Nelson said, “the survival handbook for our day is the Book of Mormon.” The Book of Mormon is not a history but a prologue, sacred scripture written for our day. In his talk Elder Gilbert spoke about new frontiers. It was a new frontier for the pioneers who came here to this valley and with courage and strength they sacrificed to build up the church. “The creation of this new stake is a new frontier for you to serve and help. There are also personal frontiers that can help you move forward to learn and develop your own personal testimony.” He also spoke about truth and urged all to go to trusted resources. Read the Book of Mormon for it testifies of Jesus Christ. Elder Gilbert pointed out that Alma 36 is a chiasmus and is the longest one in the book – verse 1 echoes v. 30 and in the middle is v.17 which talks about the redemption of Jesus Christ. “Work for your testimony, feed it truth, don’t pollute it with the world’s false truths.” Pres. Anderson spoke and said, “The Savior gave us a message – look to Him. We no longer depend on Moapa and Bloomington and quoting Pres. Kelly Jensen at the first stake conference “We are our own people; we can take care of ourselves.’ Continue our desire to do better and redouble our efforts and we can double the size of our stakes.” Pres. Hollingshead in his remarks said, “I never thought I would follow in my father-in-claw, Pres. Kelly Jensen’s footsteps. I have an overwhelming love for those in my stewardship. I learned hard work from my father working along side him on the dairy farm milking cows when I was eight. Looking back, I wouldn’t trade that time for anything – it was a blessing to work with my dad. I learned hard work and honesty as he dealt others in his business. “ Pres. David J. Anderson will continue as president of the East Stake with Travis L. Wakefield as 1st counselor and Ryan W. Toone as 2nd counselor. Jared M. Hollingshead was sustained as president of the West Stake with Mark E. Tichenor1st counselor and Vernon W. Pollock as 2nd counselor and Michael G. Waite will be stake patriarch. The Mesquite East Stake will have the following units: Littlefield, Scenic, Valley View (Mesquite 2nd), Old Mill (Mesquite 4th), Summer Crest (Mesquite 5th), Vistas (Mesquite 7th) and the YSA branch. The West Stake will be comprised of: Bunkerville 1st, 2nd, Arrowhead (Mesquite 1st), Heritage (Mesquite 3rd), Willows (Mesquite 6th) and Anthem (Mesquite 8th) and the Spanish Branch. The process of dividing the stake started after the conference in June of 2019 taking into account the number of members and the fact that our valley is growing in population. There are 2,588 members in the West Stake and 2,680 members in the East Stake. The Young single Adult Branch and the Spanish Branch members can attend the branch they qualify for regardless of which stake has their membership records. The YSA Branch will be hosted by the Mesquite West Stake and the Spanish Branch will be hosted by the Mesquite East Stake. Each stake will have six wards and a branch. Dividing the stake took a lot of planning and it is a hard decision to break up the unity in the Virgin Valley. However, this will provide service opportunities for more men and women to have leadership callings and help the leaders more effectively minister to the members. It will transform and improve the members just as it did 30 years ago when Mesquite became its own stake. Pres. Kelly B Jensen at that first stake conference in 1994 said, “Now we get to be in charge of ourselves.” Mesquite Nevada Stake was created February 13, 1994 with Elwin Whipple as Stake president, Kelly B. Jensen and Mike Waite as counselors. There were 2,149 members of the Church at that time even though 3,000 members are usually required to form a new stake. This was 117 years after the first church meeting was held on a quiet Sunday morning on January 7, 1877 on Settler’s Point. About a year after the stake was created, ground breaking for the new stake center took place January 28, 1995 and dedication of the building followed 3 years later on January 10, 1998. Prior to this the Virgin Valley area was part of the Moapa Stake. When the Moapa stake with a membership of 8,895 members was divided in 1954, Las Vegas Valley became its own stake. The “New” Moapa Stake then had a membership of 1,895. The stake name was changed to Logandale Stake in 1974 when a stake center building was constructed in Logandale. On July 25, 1976 the Mesquite Ward was divided and became the Mesquite First Ward and Second Ward and with the ward in Bunkerville there were now three wards in the valley. In 1988 the Mesquite and Bunkerville Wards with a membership of 1,642 were combined with the Bloomington Stake with Pres. Stephen H. Peterson as stake president. Bloomington was a very small stake and when Mesquite joined Bloomington it was the first stake to include members from 3 states – Utah, Arizona and Nevada. Submitted by Cheryl Jensen Elder Clark Gilbert, Elder Daren Barney with President Jared Hollingshead, 2nd Counselor Vern Pollock, (missing 1st Counselor Mark Tichenor), Mesquite West Stake. President David J. Anderson, 2nd Counselor Ryan Toone and 1st Counselor Travis Wakefield, Mesquite East Stake. Mesquite NV West Stake Mark E. Tichenor1st counselor, President Jared M. Hollingshead and Vernon W. Pollock 2nd counselor Mesquite NV East Stake Travis L. Wakefield 1st counselor Pres. David J. Anderson and Ryan W. Toone as 2nd counselor

David Neil Anderson continued his eternal adventure on January 11, 2023 with his family by his side. David was born August 24, 1931 at his grandfather’s home in the community of Enoch, Utah to Roland J. and Ellen Chaffin Anderson. He was the third son of ten children. He was raised in the Enoch Valley, kicking sunflowers while riding Old Harold, and hitching the cart to the donkeys. He spent hours going from one side of the valley to the other with his four brothers. David loved dancing, which was integral to his childhood, teenage years and on to adulthood. He enjoyed dancing to the music of the Enoch band and learning to waltz from Mary Jones, whose husband played in the band. In his teenage years David would travel with his friends from community to community all weekend long dancing from Parowan to the Touquerville exit. He begged to have dances after MIA during the week. Even to this day all his daughters will say he was their favorite dance partner. If you lived in Enoch, you ice skated in the winter. Many hours were spent with his ward family. He graduated from Cedar High in 1950. David was drafted into the army during the Korean conflict. Between his basic training in Texas at Fort Hood and deployment to Germany, he met his eternal companion and love of his life, Mary Alice Shamo. They dated in that short time and began a letter relationship until he finished his time in the service in December of 1953. He came home and they got engaged in January 1954. They were married on March 12, 1954 in the St. George Temple and started an eternal family that has grown from two to 173. His family and posterity were his most cherished possessions. He stressed the importance of family and marriage to all his children. He came home from their honeymoon, gave back the the tires he had borrowed, and returned his dad’s car. He had $12.50 in his pocket, no job, and no education. After a spring of shearing sheep, David and Mary began his education at the College of Southern Utah in the fall of 1954. They plotted a plan to complete his education as quickly as possible and moved forward to complete his industrial arts and math teaching degree, graduating from Utah State College in the spring of 1958. While in college they had three children: Betty Ellen, David Jay, and Christine. They lived in the lambing sheds that had been converted to married student housing and met lifelong friends there. His first contract took him to Alamo, Nevada to teach at Pahranagat Valley High School in the fall of 1958. After his first year, he became the principal with an additional staff of three. This began his administrative career. They loved Alamo and added three more children to their family: Robert Brent, Janet, and Kendall Dean. In Alamo he helped create the Pahranagat Valley Federal Credit Union with his account being account #1. He served as bishop of the Alamo Ward. He was active in the community, serving in the Lions Club and Fire Department. He began working with the principal at Virgin Valley High School, Blaine Allen, with the Western States Small Schools Project. After working for five years on this project, Blaine convinced him to make the transition and move to Mesquite, Nevada. In 1967 David and his family moved to Mesquite. He taught at Virgin Valley High School and worked on the Title 3 program. This was their final big move. There they added their last two daughters: Machelle and Andrea. David started his own electrical business in 1972. He juggled teaching and contracting until he became the principal of Virgin Valley High School in 1979. At that time, he stepped away from contracting until he finished his educational career in 1986. He was always active in the community, serving on the town board, fire department, and Overton Power District. He grew his electrical company after retirement from Clark County School District and purchased land to begin other ventures. In 1999 he built his final home in Bunkerville, building next door to his children. David and Mary served two missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which were such wonderful and fulfilling experiences. They served the people of Tonga from January 1994 to November 1995. They served at Liahona High School and associated with and met many amazing people. His love for the Polynesian people grew and never stopped. He paved the way and helped license the first native Master Electrician in the country of Tonga. After returning home they prepared and served in Melbourne, Australia, working with the Church Educational System from October 2001 to March 2003. They always had students in their home, playing cards and eating treats; but most important to Elder and Sister Anderson was teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. David and Mary served as temple workers after their missions and enjoyed many more callings in the Church. They loved the Lord and instilled that love in their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. David loved Mary and he demonstrated it in every action. He always sat next to her with no children between them. He brought her flowers and wrote her poetry. They loved weekend getaways and traveled usually by car so they could see the country. As age brought on the frailties of life, he still always showed that love to her. He would put on Mom’s shoes daily, have nightly prayers, and show affection with kisses. Their example is one for all their posterity to follow. David is survived by his wife Mary, and their children: Betty (Gary) Brown, Orem, Utah; David (Lynne) Anderson, Mesquite, Nevada; Christine (Robert) Foisy, Alamo, Nevada; Robert (Karma) Anderson, Cedar City, Utah; Janet (Darryll) Dodenbier, Bunkerville, Nevada; Kendall (Celeste) Anderson, Bunkerville, Nevada; Machelle Johnson, Truckee, California; Andrea Tilton, Bunkerville, Nevada; 37 grandchildren and 83 great-grandchildren with more to come; siblings, Keith (Emily) Anderson, sister-in-law JaNeene Anderson, Lona (Lynn) Mitchell, Roland (DeAnna) Anderson, Steven (Sally) Anderson. He was proceeded in death by his parents; siblings John (Donetta) Anderson, Boyd Anderson, Kent Anderson, Marie (Dick) Talbot, and Patsy Anderson; son-in-law Jeffery Tilton; and grandchildren Tami and Troy Dodenbier. Funeral services will be held Saturday, January 21, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. in the Mesquite Nevada West Stake Center, 100 N. Arrowhead Lane, Mesquite, Nevada. Viewings will be Friday, January 20, 2023 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and again prior to services from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m., also at the stake center. Interment will be at the Bunkerville Cemetery. A Zoom broadcast link for the funeral can be found at https://www.mesquitenvstake.org/meetings under the Mesquite Nevada Stake tab.