Earl W. Anderson USAF (Ret.)

Anderson, Col. Earl W. Anderson, USAF (Ret.), age 91, of Beavercreek, Ohio, passed away peacefully on September 5, 2014 at home with his family around him. Col. Anderson was born in Edgecomb County, NC and was preceded in death by his loving wife of 59 years, Sara Bernice Anderson. He is survived by his children, Sharon (Jeff) Hughes, Jeff (Maggie) Anderson, and Mark (Heather) Anderson and his grandchildren, Edward, David, Allison, Rhianna, Aidan, Rylee, Kaytin and Devyn. Col. Anderson was a 36-year veteran of the Army Air Corps and the United States Air Force. He was a decorated pilot who served in WWII and in Viet Nam, where he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Col. Anderson also was an engineer on the Thor missile program, and he flew missions out of Florida in support numerous missile launches both manned and unmanned. After a stint in the Pentagon and his tour of duty in Viet Nam, Col. Anderson was assigned to NASA to work on the Apollo lunar program. He completed his military career with duty in the Inspector General’s office at Andrews AFB and then with the Foreign Technology Division at Wright Patterson AFB. Col. Anderson was a Boy Scout leader, a rifle team leader, and a volunteer ranger at Rocky Mountain National Park. While he left the farm, it never left him. Col Anderson was a jack-of-all trades who loved fixing everything. His also enjoyed traveling throughout the country with his wife in an RV, gardening and quilting. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to the Boy Scouts of America. Funeral service will be held at 11 AM on Tuesday, September 9, 2014 at the TOBIAS FUNERAL HOME-BEAVERCREEK CHAPEL, 3970 Dayton-Xenia Rd. at Grange Hall Rd. Family will receive friends from 10-11 AM Tuesday, September 9. Interment will be in Tarboro, North Carolina. Online condolences may be sent to www.tobiasfuneralhome.com.