James, Jim, Jay, Andy, or however you may have known him was full of passion and could light up a room with his sardonic whit. Jim wore many hats, but the one that gave him most joy was the young men he would coach in Football, Basketball, and Track.
Jim taught High School in New York and Pennsylvania. History would be he his favorite subject to teach with Math being a close second. But, teaching was not Jim's fervor and he quit in 1982 and moved to Fort Worth, Texas. Jim went to work with his sister Jean in a Real Estate Office she owned. Jim eventually became a Real Estate Broker and started his own company, "Jim Anderson Realty" with 2 locations in Texas. If you were to ask Jim what job he most identified with it would be a Real Estate Broker.Jim retired in 2007 and moved to Phoenix, Arizona. He would not stay idle for to long and found himself with a full time job and worked for the next 10 years. The irony of it all, but Jim enjoyed staying active.
Jim had many interests he loved to garden and had a green thumb. He created an oasis in his barren back yard in Texas. He also had cultivated a lovely garden in his backyard in Arizona, which was no easy feat. He loved to cook and entertain friends. Jim was also very creative and you could find him oil painting one moment and woodworking the next. Jim enjoyed playing golf, watching football, and doing crossword puzzles.
He was born in farmhouse on January 31, 1937 on mountain named Tupper Hill in Treadwell, NY. It was the middle of a snow storm in the Great Depression and a country doctor had been summoned to the house on the evening of the January 30, 1937. Early the next morning James Frazier Anderson was born much to the excitement of his 4 sisters. Jim would be the only son born to Margaret and Elmer Anderson who would go on to have 2 more daughters. Being the only boy with 6 sisters, Jim was quite spoiled. According to his Birth Certificate he was born on January 30, 1937, but his Mother Margaret knew that it was wrong and would celebrate on January 31st.
As a young boy, Jim read comic books and on Saturdays he would go the Movie Theater to watch cowboy movies. Roy Rogers was his favorite along with a few Disney movies. He liked to play War and draw pictures of American Planes shooting down the German and Japanese. He played ball with his friends and rode a pony in an empty lot. When he was home alone he would find a spot away from his sisters and day dream. He would say, How can you follow your dreams if you do not dream them? "
As a teen he would listen to the Lone Ranger and Amos and Andy on the radio. He hung out at the soda fountain and went to school dances. He cruised the streets with his friends in his parent's car.
In High school Jim played and excelled at Football, Basketball, and Baseball. He would set records for the first two. Football would earn him a full scholarship to Syracuse University, where he played on the 1959 National Championship team. But, before attending Syracuse University Jim would attend a private boarding school in Connecticut, Suffield Academy. The details are kind of sketchy, but apparently he was sent there per the request of the University to bulk him before joining the Football team. Jim being from a humble environment would have stories of his time at the elite boarding school, where he also excelled at Football and Baseball.
At Syracuse he would play in the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl. A 2008 movie, "The Express" was made about his team's 1959 journey to play in the Cotton Bowl and featured the story of teammate Ernie Davis, who would go on to win the Heisman Trophy. Jim would love tell stories of Ernie Davis, who died of Leukemia a few years later at the age of 23.
After graduating from Syracuse University he married Karen Byrne in Kingston, New York on July 2, 1960 . They remained happily married for 58 years and had 3 daughters, Staci, Terri, and Trisha. Jim had 5 Grandchildren, Meghan, Alyssa, Madison, Ally, and Carson. He is survived, by his sisters, Pat, Joyce, and Ginger. His sisters, Jean, Clara, and Betty previously passed away within the last 10 years.
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