Donald Louis Anderson was born on June 9th, 1960 in Loma Linda, CA. He was a loving, devoted husband, father, son, brother, papa, uncle, friend and dedicated Peace Officer. A true inspiration to anyone lucky enough to have known him, Don had the gift to light a room up with laughter. He was hired as a New Deputy for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, in March of 1982. Described by his colleagues as having the “heart of a lion”, he earned the SWAT “dog” name of, Don “Loyal Dog” Anderson, because his commander said, “If you asked him to run through a brick wall, he would do it.” He held many roles at the Riverside Sheriff’s Department from monitoring the jail, Patrol and Investigations (Motor 4), Detective, and finally Sergeant. In 2000 Don was awarded Officer of the Year for his commitment as lead investigator for two traffic homicide cases. After serving 29 years at the Sheriff’s department, Don retired in May of 2011. From then on Don spent his time focused on his family. Whether it was riding his beloved Harley Davison, fishing with his family, traveling to new places or cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs, Don always made sure to enjoy life. He was truly an incredible, down to earth man. On February 08, 2020 Don was welcomed home by his Heavenly Father. He is loved by so many and is missed dearly. He was preceded in death by his grandma and grandpa Louis and Opal Callahan, stepmother Elaine Anderson, mother and father in law Donald and Dominga Glidden, his niece Rachel Gabani, nephew Nathan Ochoa and two brothers in law Gary Bukowski and Leonard Bliss. He is survived by his wife Mercy Anderson; his children Mariana Penunuri (Stephen), Melody Difani (Benjamin), Donald Anderson (Tamara), Telena Schneider (Jeff), Eric Abeyta (Rebecca) and Larissa Anderson; his parents Donald Anderson and Joyce Deal (George); siblings Penny Bukowski, Karen Barajas, Donna Bliss, Stacey Coburn (Steve), Darren Deal (Elizabeth), Bobbi Pacheco (Jesus), and Michael Garcia; and his many nieces and nephews. His grandchildren Ava, Andy, Ruby, Abigail, Sophia, Annie, Maddik, and Olivia will miss their dear Papa so very much. The Anderson Family would like to express their deepest gratitude for all the love and support in remembering a truly remarkable man.
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