Robert Charles Anderson

It is with a sense of profound respect and deep affection that we announce the passing of Robert Charles Anderson, Jr., known to all as Andy or Bob, who left us peacefully due to natural causes on June 25, 2024, in Denver, CO. He was a beacon of intelligence, humor, and wisdom throughout his 81 years.

Bob was born to Robert C. and Erma (Connell) Anderson on July 25, 1942, in Scottsbluff, NE. He pursued his degree in education at the University of Northern Colorado, where he laid a foundation for a career that would impact countless students and colleagues.  He also made lifelong friends there as a brother in the Acacia fraternity. As an educator and teachers' union liaison, Bob worked tirelessly across four different school districts in the Denver area. His commitment to his profession was not just a job; it was a calling that he answered with enthusiasm and innovation every day.

Those who knew Bob were touched by his wit and the wisdom that he shared generously. He had a way with words and a knack for winning every game of Trivial Pursuit he ever played, even when heavily handicapped by family rules. His intelligence was matched only by his sense of humor, which he maintained even through his final days.

Family was the cornerstone of Bob's life. He was a loving father to his daughter Heidi Korpela and her husband Chris, and to his son Jason Anderson and his wife Emily. Bob's joy was multiplied by the love for his grandchildren Tess, Ian, Fletcher, and Henry, whose achievements and adventures brought him immense pride. He was also a cherished brother to Carla Moser (deceased) and uncle to his niece Melissa Mijares and his nephew Mark Moser and their families, all of whom he held dear.

Bob's love extended beyond his family to his cherished pet dogs and cats, which were his constant companions. He enjoyed a good round of golf, a pastime that allowed him to bask in the camaraderie of good friends. He also treasured the moments spent at the family cabin in Glen Haven, CO, where time seemed to stand still, and memories were made with every visit.

As we remember Bob, we reflect on his advice to "have the courage of your convictions," to live an honest life, express love to your family, and to get a kick out of your children and grandchildren.

Robert Charles Anderson, Jr. will be deeply missed.  As we bid farewell to Bob, we celebrate a life marked by love and laughter. May his memory give a chuckle to all who knew him.  If you wish to, please donate to the American Humanist Association in his memory:

Bob wrote his own eulogy but had no specific wishes about a service.  If you wish to read on, here it is:

Greetings --
Since all of you are here and I'm not, I have to assume I'm dead.  I probably don't know where I am, but if it is any kind of conscious after-life, Bob and Erma's little boy is one surprised puppy.

Having no idea at this point who may be out there listening to this, I will try to fashion an all purpose sort of message, if that is the right word for this.

I don't know at this point if anything significant has occurred between the time I am writing this and the time of my demise.  If sufficient time has elapsed from now, I will probably add an addendum.

At any rate, I wanted the chance to get in the last word, regardless of the occasion.

I have certainly had an interesting life.  I made a number of decisions and choices that took me down some intriguing paths, and of course, nothing really turned out the way I had thought it would.  I have experienced great joys and overwhelming sorrow, but that is what life is really all about.  One cannot have one without the other and say one has lived a full life.

I have had the great fortune to have loved two remarkable women, both of whom, at different times, made me more of a person than I could have been alone.  I lost the love of one over a period of time in a manner that I could not see coming and by the time awareness dawned, it was too late.  The other was lost to me before its time, over too soon and now is lingering sadness, grief and empty longing.

I must, at this point, add a third -- something I did not or could not anticipate when I first drafted this.  But having come later into my life, she provided me with a great adventure at a time when I thought those were no longer possible. If you're out there, thank you Carol, my love.

My children (that includes you Chris and Emily), my grandchildren, and my sister have been my salvation.  Without their support and unconditional love, I would have perished long since, brought down by the quirks of fate and the cruel ways live has of slugging you in the solar plexus and saying, "Let's see how you do with this one."

Jason once asked me, "Dad, how do you keep going with everything that has happened?" My reply was that there are no other options.  One keeps on going until things either get better or worse and then you keep on going still.  Too often the going on is much more trying and difficult than just saying, "I quit -- that's it.  I can't take anymore", but one must go on.

Don't get me wrong.  I have never felt sorry for myself, I merely point out that life is what you make it and you play the hands you are dealt.  Hemingway once said a man can be destroyed but not defeated.  Conversely, he said, a man can be defeated but not destroyed.  I admit to many defeats but I have not been destroyed. I'm rather proud of that.

I will be brought down by something. That is a certainty.  It might be some result of my years of smoking and continuing to eat red meat and butter even in the face of all that data that said it was bad for me; it might be creeping dementia blooming into Alzheimer's; it might be the diabetes; or I might just stroke out in bed some night.  That, of course, would be the best of all.  You will all know what happened.  I, of course, will not.

If circumstances are such that I lingered and lapsed into that terminal evil of mistreating those around me, I am heartily sorry and hope that you have been able to forgive me.  Know that I was not myself or I would not have behaved in such a manner.  How interesting - I think I have just invented proactive, retroactive me culpa.  

At any rate, I have bored you long enough, so I will close this with my last farewell to you all.  Thank you and good night.

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