Albert W. “Andy” Anderson was born Nov. 19, 1927, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Albert W. Anderson and Cara Anderson, joining sisters, Joy Jeanne and Eula and followed by his brother, Tom.
Andy turned down a four year scholarship to Purdue University in Indiana to join the Navy in 1944. Upon discharge, he enrolled at Purdue, where he met his “Tiger,” Mary E. “Mike” Crankshaw. They were married on March 19, 1949. After his graduation from Purdue, in electrical engineering, they moved to Anderson, Indiana, where daughter, Sally was born. In 1955, Andy was offered an engineering job at Lockheed in Burbank, California. The family settled in Canoga Park, California and daughter, Susan was born. Andy and Mike were active members of Prince of Peace Episcopal Church in Woodland Hills.
Andy worked at Lockheed’s “Skunk Works,” on top-secret projects including the SR-71 Blackbird and the Stealth fighter plane. In 1988, he retired after 33 years at Lockheed “out the gate in 88” and he and Mike moved to Reno, Nevada. There he joined the Masons, Kerak Shrine and the Jesters, where he captivated everyone with his amazing gift for telling funny stories. In 1991, the family welcomed Evelyn Kendra and Andy officially became “GrandPo.” He and Mike moved to Chehalis in March of 2014 to be closer to their family. They were welcomed at St. Timothy Episcopal Church and into their friendly neighborhood, where Andy loved sitting on his front porch in the sun with Mike and his dog, Daisy and sipping his “brownie.” He died at age 87, on May 9, 2015, at home, surrounded by family.
He will be forever remembered for his great sense of humor and his generous, private and gentle nature. He remained conservative to the end and was a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather.
Andy is survived by his beloved wife of 66 years, Mike of Chehalis; daughters and sons-in-law, Sally and Robert Favors of Onalaska, Susan Anderson-Newham and Mick Newham of Tacoma; granddaughter, Evelyn Newham of Tacoma; sister, Eula Weeks of Bishop, California; brother, Tom (Bunny) Anderson of Thousand Oaks, California; numerous nieces and nephews; and his adored dog, Daisy.
A celebration of Andy’s life will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2015 at 1:00 p.m., at St. Timothy Episcopal Church, 1826 SW Snively, Chehalis, followed by a reception at the church.
Memorials may be made to Providence Healthcare Foundation, 914 S Scheuber Rd, Centralia, WA 98531
