Robert Sterling Anderl

Lt Col Robert “Bob” Sterling Anderl, USAF, Retired passed away at the age of 76 after a years-long battle with cancer. He was preceded in death by his parents, Sterling and Dorothy (Hefti) Anderl. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska and was the second of three boys. He was baptized at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Leigh, Nebraska, in February of 1950 and confirmed at Bethany Lutheran Church in Omaha in May of 1963.

Bob was a Benson High School graduate and a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he was a member of the Beta Sigma Psi Lutheran Fraternity, sang with the University of Nebraska Men’s Glee Club, and was a member of Kosmet Klub. He was married in 1970 to Marlene (Kinman) and graduated from UNL in 1971. Later, he earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Montana through the Minuteman Education Program.

Inspired by the military service of his father and uncles, Bob was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force in 1971, and he had an extensive 20-year career in space and missile programs. He was a proud missileer and airman. His favorite assignments included his time as a Crew Commander for the Minuteman Missile with the 490th Missile Squadron at Malmstrom AFB, Montana, as an Airborne Launch Officer with the 4th Airborne Command and Control Squadron at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, as a contracting officer in support of missile systems at the Ballistic Missile Office at Norton AFB, California, and at Air Force Systems Command Headquarters at Andrews AFB, Maryland.

When he retired from the Air Force, Bob went to work in the defense industry for Lawrence and Associates In 1992, and he ended his second career as the Director of Industrial and Business Operations at General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT). He served as the Director of the Dayton Chapter of the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) and was an NCMA Fellow.

His retirement included 4,000 hours of volunteering for the National Museum of the Air Force, 14 years of serving families through Emmanuel Lutheran Church’s Third Thursday food delivery program, and several hundred life-saving blood donations over the course of his life, 196 in Dayton. He was an avid Husker fan and was recognized by the Miami Valley Huskers in 2019 as “Fan of the Year.” He loved working in his yard and feeding and watching the birds, but his favorite title was “Grandpa.”

He is survived by his wife of 56 years Marlene, sons Timothy (Emily Owens) and Joseph (Amanda), daughter Elizabeth “Libby”, grandchildren Oliver, Ruby, Salvatore, Lucian, Leif, and Sterling, brothers William Anderl of Minneapolis and Richard Anderl of Omaha and their families, and mother-in-law Luetta Schmitt of Omaha.

His family would like to thank the incredible staff at Kettering Hospital Main Campus and Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton for their compassionate care in his final days.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his honor to Emmanuel Lutheran Church-Third Thursday Program or the Air Force Museum Foundation.

Visitation will be held at Emmanuel Lutheran, on April 28, 2026, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am, followed by the Funeral Service at the same location on April 28, 2026, starting at 11:00 AM.

A Committal Service will take place at Dayton National Cemetery, 4400 W. Third St., Dayton, OH 45428, US, on April 29, 2026, at 9:00 AM.