Douglas Anderson

Doug T.Anderson age 70 of Fredericksburg died Friday, February 15, 2013, at his home in Fredericksburg. Services will be held at Hugeback - Johnson Funeral Home in Fredericksburg on a later date. Douglas Theodore Anderson was born March 30, 1942 in West Union, IA, the son of Lloyd and Ana (Anderson) Anderson. His early years were spent just outside of Clermont and he was joined by a sister,Jane Ellen in January of 1950. Like most brothers and sisters there was rivalry. His mother tells of how little sister used to find his gum and chew it during the day when he was at school, carefully returning it before the end of the school day. When Doug was about ten years old, he moved with his father to a farm outside of Clermont, alongside of the Dibble Creek. He attended school in Clermont and went to Valley High School until age 16. School was never his forte, and he left in the second week of his Junior year, refusing to return even with the encouragement of several of his teachers. He was a member of the local 4-H club and through the knowledge he gained the family was persuaded to buy a Holstein cow to add to the beef herd, increasing the fat content of the milk. At 16, he became the proud owner of a 1947 burgundy Ford. He built his mechanical skills keeping it running. His other special treasure was a 1942 John Deere LA ,lovingly known as ‘ Little John.’ He kept this all his life. As a young adult, Doug could be found every Sunday night at the Roller skating rink in Ossian,Iowa. He preferred this activity to dancing, and was quite talented at it, and made many good friends. He was a good brother to his little sister, making sure she made it to her 8th grade graduation, confirmation, the prom and other important school events. In fact, he even attended her 30th class reunion with her when Jane’s husband had to return to Australia on short notice. Douglas joined the Iowa National Guards and served his time with them. He was in the Red Bull Division, and did his training in Fort Bragg Louisiana. On his return, he met a young woman from the Twin Cities. He and Mary Ann Newport were married in October, 1965. They lived in Decorah Iowa, where Doug worked as a Mechanic for several years. To this union two children were born, Donna Mae in Nov 1966 and Daniel Scott in January 1968. The couple later divorced. In late 1967 Doug was needed to take over the farm after the death of his Aunt Marion and the ill health of his Father, Lloyd. Doug and Mary Ann ran the farm for several years, until its sale in 1969. In June 1976 he married Colleen Foster Peters, and together they raised the blended family of 6 children. Doug drove truck for a number of years for multiple companies hauling milk. He enjoyed the long hauls, talking on his CB radio, under the call sign Rainbow. He retired in 2010 to the farm outside Fredericksburg where ill health began to take its toll. He leaves behind his wife Colleen, one son, Daniel (Demita) Anderson of Williston, FL; one daughter, Donna Mae Anderson (Rex) Lawson of Ostrander; three step-daughters, Deanna (Wade) Hauser of New Hampton, Elizabeth (Steve) Helgen of Cedar Falls, Annette Peters of Fredericksburg; one step-son, Marty Peters of Alvord, IA; one sister, Jane(John) Klunder of Australia; sixteen grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; many cousins in the West Union and Clermont area. He was preceded in death by his parents.