Anne-Julie Stangeland Sperry Obituary (1934

Anne-Julie Stangeland Sperry, 87, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 in the presence of her two beautiful daughters. Julie was born March 10, 1934 to Jon Larsen Stangeland and Dagny Suniva Nygaard Stangeland in Stavanger, Norway. She grew up in the city of Stavanger, where she attended school, studied languages and became fluent not only in her native Norwegian, but also in English, German, and French. Julie studied vocal performance in Norway and was an accomplished vocalist, organist, and pianist. She cultivated her life-long love of music and served others by sharing her great talents with many. She could often be found singing in church and with local choirs. She also taught piano lessons to many local children. Following her graduation from high school in Stavanger, Julie became an au pair for a wonderful family in West Kirby, England. Upon her return from England, she decided to serve a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was called to the Oslo, Norway Mission where she served as the secretary to the mission president, Ray Engebretsen. After her mission in 1958, Julie moved to Utah to continue her education. She enrolled at Brigham Young University and made many wonderful friends there. While attending BYU she worked as a teller at Walker Bank, where she met Del Sperry—the love of her life. Del and Julie were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on May 22, 1964. They soon welcomed two wonderful daughters into their lives, Anne and Erika. After moving around a few times to places like Kayenta, Arizona and Spokane, Washington, they eventually settled in Provo, Utah to raise their family. Julie has a deep and abiding love of her Savior, Jesus Christ, and served Him faithfully throughout her life. Julie loved being a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She loved and served her family without hesitation. Mom was always there to lend a helping hand and to offer words of encouragement filled with unconditional love. She taught by example and love, serving many families, friends, and neighbors. A fabulous cook and hostess, family and friends loved to visit her home and partake of the world’s best Norwegian food. Her Norwegian meatballs, cookies, and pancakes were especially delicious. Julie is survived by her daughters, Anne (Steven) Kingsolver, Erika (Brad) Hatch; grandchildren, (Anne and Steven’s): Stephanie, Sarah and Brett, and (Erika and Brad’s): Brandon (Felisha), Amanda (Evan), Rachel (Duncan), and William; along with four (soon to be five!) great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Del; her parents; her sister, Aase; and brothers, Jon and Lasse. The family would like to give special thanks to Elevation Hospice for the wonderful care they provided Julie. Graveside services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, January 19, 2022 at Eastlawn Memorial Hills Cemetery, 4800 North 650 East, Provo, Utah. In light of the current surge in COVID-19 cases in Utah, the services will be limited to immediate family members only. Thank you for your understanding, love, and support. Please visit www.bergmortuary.com to share your memories of Julie.