Earl Leo Anderson (2016)

ANDERSON, MASON, BAILEY, CANNAVARO

Posted By: Shirley Keating (email)
Date: 5/6/2016 at 18:22:11

Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Earl Leo Anderson, Van Meter, Iowa

Earl Leo Anderson, 90, of Van Meter passed away Tuesday, April 26, at Edgewater in West Des Moines with his family by his side.

Memorial services were held Saturday, April 30, at the United Methodist Church in Van Meter. Private family burial will be at Iowa Veterans Cemetery.

Earl Leo Anderson of Van Meter was born near Chariton on April 5, 1926, son of Ivan and Ariel Mason Anderson. The doctor was brought to the rural home with horses because the roads were blocked by an April snowstorm. Earl attended rural schools and graduated from Chariton High School in 1943. He enlisted in the Navy V-12 Officer Training program and served for two years. Earl graduated from Iowa State College (ISU) with a degree in Civil Engineering. The next day, June 12, 1948, he married Ardis Bailey of Atlantic, whom he had met on a blind date. They lived in Southwest Iowa until moving to Des Moines in 1951, to rural Van Meter in 1974 and finally to Edgewater Retirement Community, West Des Moines in 2009.

During his last semester of college, Earl worked part-time in Des Moines for Cunningham-Reis Company, bridge contractors and started his life long career with that company a week after graduation. He became the owner and President for over 40 years before passing the company responsibilities to his sons in 2010. He served as President of the Iowa Association of General Contractors in 1965.

Earl and Ardis traveled to many foreign countries and especially enjoyed fishing for lake trout in Manitoba, salmon and halibut in British Columbia and Alaska and walleye in Ontario. Earl loved the outdoors and hunted elk in Colorado for over 30 years and caribou in Quebec, as well as pheasants and quail.

He was an active member of the Van Meter United Methodist Church for over 40 years. He and Ardis hosted the Living Christmas Story in their sheep barn for 25 years.

Earl is survived by his wife, Ardis; sons, David (Marilyn) Anderson and Roger (Cindy) Anderson of Van Meter; daughters, Joyce Anderson of Mason City and Maribeth (Bruce) Cannavaro of Port Townsend, Wash.; nine grandchildren, four step grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, and a grandson.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Van Meter United Methodist Church at 100 Hazel St., P.O. Box 149, Van Meter IA 50261.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by McCalley-Collins Funeral Home in Winterset. Online condolences may be left at www.mccalleyfuneralhome.com .