On Monday, July 4th, 2011, Donald Eugene Anderson of Umpqua, Oregon, passed peacefully in Columbia Falls, Montana. He was 76 years old, and died from complications of heart failure due to severe aortic stenosis. He was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota, December 28th, 1934, to Morris Anderson and Viola Yelkin Anderson, and grew up in Langford, South Dakota and in Southern California. After high school he enlisted in the US Army and served in Germany, competing in the pole vault on the All-Europe Track Team. He received his degree in Engineering from Long Beach City College and worked for North American, under contract to NASA, as a schematics designer, active in the Apollo space program and the Hound Dog missile system. He spent many days skin diving off the California and Mexican coasts, and was a pitcher in a Semi-Professional Softball League. He was married to Ruth Ann in 1958. In 1967 they moved to Umpqua, Oregon and he worked as the Assistant County Engineer, where he drafted the Douglas County map. He taught Drafting and Calligraphy at the Umpqua Community College. In his later years he farmed Christmas trees, and was an accomplished horticulturist, raising ornamental Japanese maples, grafting and propagating other exotic varieties, and crafting bonsai. He participated annually in the Umpqua Community Center Plant Sale, and donated landscaping for the center. He was an active tennis player and a member for years of the Roseburg Tennis Club.
He is survived by his twin brother Dean Anderson of California, his sister Sherry Anderson of California, his children Dana Ducote of Montana, Donna Fouts of Oregon, Dena Sikes of California, and Donny Anderson of Maryland, as well as grandchildren Brie, January, Ariel, Alexa, Darilyn, Erik, Megan and Michael, and great-grandchildren Natalia, Devon, Sullivan, Sophia, Dakota, Zoelie, and Lilianna.
His life will be celebrated in a Mass at the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church at 323 N. Comstock Avenue in Sutherlin, Oregon at 12:30 on Saturday, July 30th, 2011, followed by a Memorial gathering at the Umpqua Community Center 3:00PM. He will be laid to rest in the Coles Valley Cemetery in Umpqua, Oregon in a private ceremony. In lieu of flowers, please hug your family, call a friend and plant a tree because life is all about connection and renewal.