William (Bill) Anderson

WILLIAM G. (BILL) ANDERSON

Cedar Rapids

William G. (Bill) Anderson, 93, of Cedar Rapids, died Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017, in the presence of his family. Services at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Our Savior's Lutheran Church. The Rev. Phil Jorgensen will officiate. Entombment with military rites at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery. Friends may call at the Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

Survivors include a son, William H. (Sheila M.) of Cedar Rapids; and four daughters, Rebecca (Thomas C.) Beusch of Kildeer, Ill., Jeanne (Thomas G.) Hoyt of Overland Park, Kan., and Lisa (Richard J.) Twedt and Lori (Tom E.) Hampton, all of Cedar Rapids. He is also survived by five grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Anna; a son, James Eric; an infant daughter, Gail Sue; brother, the Rev. Robert L. Anderson; and two sisters, Mildred Anderson and Edith Estensen.

Bill was born Jan. 30, 1924, in Morris, Ill., the son of Harrison and Ellen (Amundson) Anderson. He received his undergraduate electrical engineering degree from the University of Texas, where he earned the Tau Beta Phi award. He graduated from Iowa State University with his master's degree in 1959. He married Anna O. Berge on March 2, 1946, in Morris, Ill. Anna passed away in 2010.

Bill proudly served as a commissioned officer after participating in the V-12 Program in World War II and served on the USS Denver. Bill started his career in engineering with Westinghouse Electric Corp. in Pennsylvania and later was a valued employee at Rockwell Collins. While at Collins, he was instrumental in developing several patents in the avionics control field, and he retired from Rockwell Collins after more than 39 years of service.

Bill was a charter member of St. Stephen's Lutheran Church and a longtime member of Our Savior's Lutheran Church. He was a founding member of the Sons of Norway, a Cub Scout leader, Boy Scout master and a longtime member of I.E.E.E. He was an avid golfer and was a voracious reader on many subjects. He was an accomplished tennis player and won several tournaments, including the 1989 AEGON Iowa Open men's 65 singles championship. Bill's intensive genealogy research culminated in "The Anderson Family, Search for Paternal Roots, 1747-2002."

Among all of his accomplishments, however, his great joy was the time spent with his family and many friends. He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and friend whose memory will be cherished by all who knew and loved him. Bill was a kind, respected, selfless, compassionate and considerate man.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established in Bill's name. Please leave a message or tribute to the Anderson family on the website www.cedarmemorial.com under Obituaries.