John Burroughs ANDERSON

ANDERSON, JOHNSON, DANKEL, KRUSE, PACKARD, FRY, PAULOS, WARNOCK

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 6/11/2017 at 16:02:19

January 13, 1923 ---- June 7, 2017

John Burroughs Anderson was born on January 13, 1923, in Webster County, Iowa, to Paul and Mabel (Johnson) Anderson. He died June 7, 2017, at Edgewater Retirement Community in West Des Moines. Graveside services will be Friday, June 16, at 12 p.m. at the Storm Lake Cemetery followed by a luncheon at the Storm Lake United Methodist Church. A celebration of life will be Saturday, June 17, at 10:30 a.m. at Edgewater Retirement Community, 9225 Cascade Ave., West Des Moines.

John graduated from Gowrie Consolidated School in 1941 and Iowa State University in 1949 with a B.S. in agricultural journalism. He married Shirley JoAnn Dankel in Lake View on August 24, 1952. John spent his career operating community newspapers in Iowa and received the Master Editor-Publisher Award from the Iowa Newspaper Association in 1977. He started as a reporter/editor in Eagle Grove, then owned and operated newspapers in Britt and Storm Lake. He was a stockholder in newspapers in Dyersville and Waukon. In 1966, he served on the staff for Murray for Governor.

For many years, he served as president of the J.S. Anderson Farm Corp., overseeing the Century Farm in Clay Township, Webster County, where he was born and that was purchased by his grandfather in 1884.

He was dedicated to community activities in the towns where he operated newspapers. He also served on the District Judicial Nominating Committee. He was named an alternate delegate to the National Republican Convention in 1984.

He was a member of the Storm Lake First United Methodist Church, Sigma Delta Chi journalism fraternity, Kappa Sigma social fraternity, ISU Alumni Association, Order of the Knoll, and Lake Creek Country Club. He liked to golf, read, garden, fish, travel, and spend winters in Arizona. In 2011, John and Jo moved to Edgewater Retirement Community in West Des Moines, where John loved sharing nightly dinners in the Pub and playing bridge and pitch with his many good friends.

John is survived by daughters Elizabeth Anderson (Loren Kruse), Ankeny; Krista Packard (Guy), Holland, Mich.; and Janet Fry (Steve), Waukee; sister Margaret Paulos, Davenport; and grandchildren Chris Packard, John Kruse, Erin Fry, Anne Packard, Kate (Drew) Warnock, and Kyra Fry, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, parents, one brother, and three sisters. Memorial contributions may be made to the Anderson-Kruse Fund for Excellence in News-Editorial Writing, Greenlee Journalism School, through the ISU Foundation; the Edgewater Good Samaritan Fund; or the Storm Lake United Methodist Church.

Des Moines Register ---- Des Moines, Iowa
June 11, 2017