DONALD ALLEN ANDERSON

DONALD ALLEN ANDERSON
January 23, 1947 – July 7, 2009

Donald Anderson was, to put it simply, one of the good guys. He was no slave to fashion, no citizen of the world, I’m pretty sure he never got a manicure. Don was the type of man we see less these days a good old American guy. Don was raised by two wonderful people; Bill and Lavergne Anderson, to honor his parents love his country and behave like a gentleman. Dons’ mother’s brownies with white frosting were always his favorite treat. If any of the women in his home planned to make brownies he would ask them to use his mother’s recipe. Don and his brother Bill both served our nation in the armed forces. Don always knew he could count on his big brother and Bill knew he might get a late night I love you bro call at any time.

Don had his own ideas about things but he could be won over. When he walked into his college dorm room for the first time and saw his roommate playing a guitar he thought “What have I gotten myself into?” By the end of the first semester he had made a friend and developed a lifelong appreciation for Sonny & Cher’s “I’ve got you Babe. Don had a great sense of humor but didn’t like to draw attention to himself. He was a thoughtful person who seemed content to observe and listen and consider. Then Don would inject a comment or two that were always insightful, interesting and well worth hearing. Don was really quite brilliant and I deeply regret that I didn’t spend more time discussing current events with him.

Don was a kind and loving husband. He had about a number of ways of saying Deanne. When he was teasing, chiding or pretending to be shocked he would always say Deanne instead of De. I can hear his voice saying Deanne and shock, teasing or whatever inflection he chose you could hear the love quite clearly. Don was very protective of Deanne he did all the stinky jobs like cleaning the shells, cleaning out De’s lunch containers for her or seeing to any of the hundreds of details he took upon himself to make her life easier. Don did all the ironing and most of the gift buying. He took time to notice what all of their friends and family liked and was always on the lookout for the very thing that would delight one of the lucky people on his gift list. Don was an excellent gift wrapper and even recycled last year’s Christmas cards into lovely tags for this year’s gifts.

Don had a special relationship with his sister in law, Margaret Quinn. He was ever vigilant in seeking out Miami Dolphin memorabilia for her. Margret wasn’t shy about asking if he had anything for her either. She would sometimes tease the gifts out of him and was always thrilled with whatever he had found. Margaret’s child like enthusiasm made the gift giving as enjoyable for Don as the receiving was for Margaret. Today they are together again and looking over all the loved ones they have left behind, just for a time.

Some men might think twice about marrying a woman with two little girls but Don saw Peggy and Lori as the bonus blessings they were. Even during the teen years when they overfilled and broke the washing machine on a regular basis, sure he complained, loudly sometimes but you could tell that he really enjoyed being the guy who could fix the washing machine. Don has been a loving father from the first and the blessing of two little girls was multiplied by the gift of two grandsons.

Matthew and Steven can tell you what a wonderful loving grandfather their Poppop has been. Don taught Stephen to play cribbage as soon as he was old enough to hold a hand of cards so well that Stephen was able to beat his Uncle Bill the first time they played. Thursday night Steven and Uncle Bill played cribbage again and with PopPop looking over his shoulder Stephen didn’t just win, he “skunked” his uncle.

Matt and Don were co-conspirators in a sense. During the family trips to Mitchells Sand Castle in Sanibel they would go shelling during the low tide. The low tide was often between midnight and 3am. While everyone else slept they would slip out of the hotel like cat burglars, bundled up, carrying flashlights to collect the shells that were underwater the other 23 hours of the day. I am sure Matt will treasure those memories over the most exotic shells they discovered.
Don somehow spent his time in the army in Colorado and learned to ski. Don and Deanne got involved in the local Snow Ski club and went on a number of ski trips over the years. Most people who fly from Florida to ski country take steps to deal with the difference in altitude and humidity. Not Don, we were all having lunch on the mountain once and while I was gulping water to recover from a morning of skiing in the thin dry air Don was enjoying a Miller Lite. He had a tee shirt that said “Never too drunk to ski”

Deanne and Don enjoyed diving, snorkeling and boating. Many of us here were or are members of the Flotilla Club and the Palm Beach Fin Divers. Some people who dive just look but Don didn’t like coming up empty handed. He speared fish and caught lobster. Don found bottles and shells if you’ve been to the Anderson home you know how good he was. Deep down I know Don thought he would find sunken treasure one day I saw it in his eyes once when we were in Key West looking at treasure in some little museum. I always hoped he would come across at least one gold doubloon but for Don it wasn’t what he had just found that was most exciting to him; it was always what he would find next. I dressed rather brightly today because of a complaint Don voiced twenty years ago at the Fin Diver Christmas party. He just didn’t see why so many women wore black when they dressed up and he preferred to see us in bright colors.

Don’s collecting went way beyond shells. He collected cookie jars, Marilyn Monroe bottles of wine and many things of interest and value. Don was telling me once about his Tweety Bird collection and how the value was increasing. Initially I thought he was pulling my leg, but over the years he bought and sold so many things at a profit I have to admit he knew that he was talking about. I think it was the very concept of finding value where others might overlook it that drew Don to be such a collector. When Don wasn’t finding beautiful things he was creating them. His mosaics are really quite wonderful and I am pleased that I have a lovely example of Don’s artistic talent in my home which I will always treasure.

Don was incredibly intelligent and had a natural mathematical gift. Over the years he developed systems to win at Jai Ali and the lottery. Unfortunately these schemes required huge financial investment and he ever got the chance to fully test them. Recently he found black jack to be a suitable outlet for his skill and desire to gamble. Although, judging from his success at the black jack tables you couldn’t really call it gambling. De’s brother Jim and family friend Gary can tell you firsthand about Don’s cruise ship casino success and perhaps explain why he referred to them as “the girls”.

From the moment I heard the terrible and shocking news of Don’s death the same phrase kept running through my mind. What will we do without Don? As I pictured future events, parties and get-togethers wondering if they would even be possible I kept thinking what will we do without Don? I don’t know the answer to that question. I don’t know why this wonderful man was taken from us so abruptly and at such a young age.

I do know that he was loved and admired, I know that he will never be forgotten and that he will be missed so very terribly missed.