Service Thursday for Tom Anderson
Services for Thomas Clinton “Tom” (a/k/a Tommy or Andy) Anderson, 85, of Allen will be 10:00 a.m. today, Thursday, June 20th , at Richmond Avenue Free Will Baptist Church, Rev. Buddy Drake will offi ciate. A military ceremony will follow at Allen Cemetery.
Mr. Anderson died Friday, June 14 at the hospital in Ada. He was born in 1933 in Wetumka to Clint and Tilda Mae Ussery Anderson. He married Johanna “Jo” Maywald in 1956 at Landshut, Germany. She preceded him in death on May 22, 2017.
After completing his basic training at Ft. Chaffee, AK in 1950, we went on to serve in the Army for 21 years, completing tours of duty in Korea, Lebanon, and Vietnam, where he served during the TET offensive in 1969. During his military career, he and his family moved often, to Germany, Texas, and Kentucky.
Among his many citations were the Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal for his service in the Vietnam War, where his 3/17th Air Cavalry unit received the Valorous Unit Award. It would come as no surprise to those who knew him that he received the Good Conduct Medal.
After retiring from the Army in 1971, he moved with his family to Camanche, Iowa, where he worked at DuPont until his retirement. He returned to Allen in 2002, where he and his wife enjoyed living closer to his extended family, who he loved very much.
Tom and Jo often attended military reunions of the 510th Tank Battalion, who he served with while stationed in Germany in 1955, where he met Jo. They also attended 3/17th Air Cavalry reunions.
He loved visiting his daughter and son-in-law in Michigan and attending family reunion camping weekends that used to be held every year on Father’s Day. Some of his favorite pastimes were reading westerns, keeping up with the news, watching sports, and taking walks. He also enjoyed taking cruise vacations, traveling to Alaska, Mexico and the Panama Canal.
He and his wife loved to dance, especially the polka, and they were members of the German-American Club in Davenport, Iowa. After they moved to Allen, they found a dance hall in Gerty, where they used to go dancing on Friday nights.
Survivors include a daughter, Linda Wood and husband Mike, Holland, Michigan; one brother, Jim Anderson (Lynnette), Allen; three sisters, Francis Berglund (Lyle, deceased) of Allen, Dorothy Poisson of Moore, and Mildred “Millie” Anderson, (Phil), Allen; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Bob Anderson and Don Anderson.
Those who wish may make memorials to the Richmond Avenue Free Will Baptist Church, 220 E Richmond Ave., Allen, OK 74825.