Ina Dial Andrus

Ina came into this world as the daughter of Hiram and Della Dial, arriving a few miles from Shelley, Idaho. The year was 1927. She was the sixth of nine children, having two older sisters, three older brothers, two younger sisters and a younger brother. She was born during a January blizzard. The doctor who was enroute tipped his buggy over in a ditch while on the way out to the ranch, and then was confused about which lady was giving birth when he arrived. But all went well, and little Ina came into the world.
One of Ina’s earliest memories is having the red measles at the age of seven. She was very sick and thought she would die. The doctor instructed Ina’s mother to keep her is a dark room, so her mother made a make-shift bed for her, using two chairs, and positioned it in the dark area behind the dining room door. In retrospect, Ina thought that this was done so that she could be close to her mother working nearby in the kitchen while she was recovering.
Ina’s musical destiny was forged in her childhood. She was her Daddy’s “little songbird”. She took piano lessons from her Aunt Olive. And when Olive went on her mission, Ina’s older sister Ada took the lead in teaching piano to Ina. Ada also was a French Horn player in High School and encouraged Ina to take it up and helped her to master it. Ina enjoyed the French Horn immensely, and performed with it all four years of High School.
Recalling her transition to high school after the eighth grade Ina wrote: “When I graduated from the eighth grade, I gave one of the graduation talks and sang in a sextette. The singing wasn’t so bad but giving the talk really frightened me. This was on the 10th of May, 1941. Thus ended my first eight years schooling and I moved forward to higher education. I started at Shelley High School, east of town, August of 1941. December of that same year Pearl Harbor was bombed and the United States went to war with Japan. Germany declared war on the United States and so we were fighting on two fronts. Things began to change all around us. Our young men were leaving to fight in World Ward II, food and gas rationing began, and this in turn cut down on the school activities we were allowed.”
In 1946, sometime after graduating, Ina moved to Holladay Utah to live with her sister Ada. It was in Holladay that she first met her future husband, Stan Andrus. They both belonged to the Holladay Ward. He had returned home from service in the European theater after the war. They both attended an M-Men and Gleaner banquet and dance. Stan asked her to dance. Evidently Ina was such a good dancer that Stan asked her to be his partner at the upcoming “all church” dance at Saltair. They got better acquainted during the rehearsals, then dated steadily until Stan was called on a mission to the New England States in July. They continued to correspond by mail. Two months after Stan returned, they were married in the Salt Lake Temple on September 24, 1948.
Their life at BYU, in Provo, Utah, started as Stan began pursuing his Teaching degree. Ina and Stan commenced raising a family at this point, with son, Steven, arriving in 1949 and daughter, Shauna, in 1951. After graduating, and while pursuing a graduate degree, Stan was recruited to teach in Corcoran California. He signed a contract and off they went to the Golden State in 1953.
The Church was young in the area where Ina and Stan settled, and Ina had many opportunities to lead, to participate, and to develop new talents as the Gospel seeds fell onto the fertile ground of the San Joaquin valley. As a member of the small Hanford Branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Ina learned additional music skills and passed them on to others. She served as a Stake Primary Music Director, Stake Relief Society Music Director, and was a Relief Society Counselor for five years.
The priorities in Ina’s life were faith, family, and music. These three were interwoven as she lived the dream. Of course, there were the usual setbacks, disappointments and even tragedies. But she kept the faith and endured. She loved the fact that Stan honored his Priesthood in every way. Just prior to moving to Hanford, their second daughter, LaNae, had come into the world in 1955. Then, while Stan served as Bishop, their third daughter, Sharee, was born in 1958.
To round out the family, Ina gave birth to their fourth daughter, Michele, in 1960. A wonderful posterity of five children had been created from their eternal union. And from there, that posterity has blossomed into 17 grandchildren, 55 great-grandchildren, and 15 great-great-grandchildren as of this date. This was all because a little girl, full of faith, left Idaho and went to live with her older sister in Holladay Utah. She has most assuredly traveled the path on earth that was divinely meant for her.
Ina had many hobbies and interests that included farming, gardening, sewing, singing, playing the French Horn (which she took up again 40 years after high school), playing the organ and piano, camping, going to the mountains and beaches, family and church activity planning, and anything that involved learning and performing music. One of the groups that Ina performed with was called the Crystalairs. They performed concerts and made recordings of their music, which the family has been enjoying recently, during the aftermath of her passing. Ina’s legacy of faith, family and music is a profound one.
Since 2004, Ina has lived on earth without her beloved Stan. Soon after his departure, she would often express a desire to join him – not in a maudlin way, but in a quiet longing to be “going home” to be with her eternal companion. During these nearly 20 years since, she lived independently in Hanford for many years, then moved to Orem, Utah in 2018 to live with family members here in the valley. Her faith, sense of humor, dry wit, and fun-loving attitude have lifted all of us who know her.
Quietly, peacefully, with the sun shining through her bedroom window, Ina slipped away during the morning of Monday, April 17th. Angels and loved ones on the other side could easily be envisioned as her final hours were fulfilled; and then the glorious reunion at her final “going home”. She will be dearly missed.
Ina is survived by:
Son, Steven Keith Andrus (Susan); Daughters Shauna Ramirez, LaNae Nugent (Stephen), and Sharee Andrus; son-in-law Carlos Pereira; sister Leona Kelly; 17 grandchildren; 52 great grandchildren; and 15 great-great grandchildren.
Ina is preceded in death by:
Husband, Stanley Keith Andrus; daughter Michele Pereira; 3 great grandchildren; her parents; and seven siblings.
Interment: Holladay Memorial Cemetery, Holladay, Utah
Services: VIEWING – Friday, April 21, 6-8PM Memorial Cottonwood Mortuary; VIEWING AND FAMILY PRAYER – Saturday, April 22, 11:30-12:30, Memorial Cottonwood Mortuary; GRAVESIDE SERVICE – Saturday, April 22, 1:00PM, Holladay Memorial Cemetery; CHURCH SERVICE MEMORIAL – Monday, April 24, 11:30-12:30 followed by luncheon, 865 W 1000 N, Orem, Utah 84057.
In lieu of flowers, please contribute to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Missionary Fund.
To view the services please use the following link https://evident.id/bPj6l5dvAj8cgffLd87AB47tY1s
Service Information
Viewing April 21, 2023 at 6:00-8:00 PM
Memorial Holladay~Cottonwood Mortuary, 4670 South Highland Drive, Holladay,Utah 84117





Viewing April 22, 2023 at 11:30AM-12:30PM
Memorial Holladay~Cottonwood Mortuary, 4670 South Highland Drive, Holladay,Utah 84117





Viewing April 22, 2023 at 1:00 PM Graveside Service
Memorial Holladay Cemetery





Memorial Service
April 24, 2023 at 11:30-12:30PM
865 West 1000 North, Orem, Utah 84057