Gerald F. Anderson

1925 - 2021

Gerald F. Anderson

Port Orange - Gerald (Jerry) Fraser Anderson died peacefully in Port Orange, Florida on January 13, 2021 with his daughters by his side. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the family plans to gather for a celebration of his life later in the year.

Jerry was born on January 19, 1925 in Manchester, New Hampshire to Elizabeth and William Anderson.

Even though his favorite ice cream flavor was vanilla, he was certainly far from boring. Jerry was a lobster fisherman, a war hero, a university professor, a published author, and a world traveler. His stories were the stuff of legend, and he radiated joy and curiosity.

In 1942, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and became a dive-bomber gunner and was stationed in the Central Pacific War Area during World War II. He participated in the Marshall Islands Operations, the Gilbert Islands Operations, the Iwo Jima Campaign, the Okinawa Campaign, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and other medals.

After the war, he put the GI Bill to good use, attending Bates College in Maine where he met Janet Clark, who was to become his wife of 54 years. After graduation, Jerry was offered a position with the U.S. Foreign Service. After a brief stint in Washington, DC, Jerry and Janet travelled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where a part of his responsibilities was to gather intel on, and to hunt for Nazi spies who had defected to South America after World War II. In 1954, they moved to Madrid, Spain, where Jerry took a position at the American Embassy. He also attended the University of Madrid and received a doctoral degree. While living abroad, they welcomed their two daughters, Carol and Sally.

After returning to the United States, the family moved to Eugene, Oregon, where Jerry taught Spanish at the University of Oregon. When talking about what prompted the family to move to Florida, he enjoyed telling the story of how toddler Sally was so startled by a rare ray of sunlight that he decided they really should move to a sunnier clime. When the family relocated to the Sunshine State, he taught Spanish at Stetson University in DeLand until his retirement in 1987. At Stetson he was the Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and headed the Junior Year Abroad Program in Spain, where he was a mentor to many students who went on to become teachers themselves. Jerry spent his retirement on the east coast of Florida but loved to travel at every opportunity. Even into his late 80s he would pack his tent and fishing pole and drive out West for months at a time. He was also fond of hiking the southern parts of the Appalachian Trail.

He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Janet, and older brother Stan. He is survived by his two daughters Carol Anderson-McLean (Fergus) and Sally Copps (David), grandchildren Elizabeth (Anthony) and Will, great-grandchild Liam, and his two nephews Peter Anderson (Pam) and Marshall, all of whom will always love him dearly.

The family asks that any donations in Jerry's name be made to Halifax Health Hospice, Daytona Beach, Florida.