Keith Darryl Anderson, of Reno, Nev., passed away on July 15, 2021. He received hospice care through Circle of Life. Keith was born Jan. 31, 1940, to Lloyd and Loreen (Johnson) Anderson in Osage, Iowa. He spent his early years in Carpenter, Iowa. He was the oldest of three boys. His father passed away when Keith was 11 years old. He lived in many small towns in those early years as his mom was a country school teacher. The family finally settled in Rock Falls, Iowa, after Loreen remarried. Keith graduated from Rock Falls High School in 1958, and attended Mason City Junior College, in Mason City, Iowa, from 1958 to 1960. In 1961, he joined the U.S. Army and was part of the 25th Infantry Division stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. When he left the Army, he attended the University of Iowa. He married Linda Studer in January 1972, and they made their home in Mason City, Iowa. One daughter was born to this union, Amelia Rae.

Keith loved his family, but his next love was baseball. He started playing at the age of 11 for Little League and through high school. He continued after joining the Army, where he pitched for the Dragons, his unit's ball team. He continued playing softball in Mason City for many different teams, including Decker Sporting Goods and the Rose Bowl.

Keith held various jobs around the area but retired when he was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis in 1992, at the Iowa City VA Medical Center.

He is survived by wife, Linda, of Reno, Nev., his daughter, Amelia Anderson Calvert, and her husband, Travis, of Reno, Nev., and sisters-in-law Regina Studer, of Mason City, Iowa, Sharon Anderson, of Texas, and Cheri Anderson, of Colford, Kan., and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his brothers, David Anderson and Kent Anderson, and half-sister Loretta Adams, his parents Lloyd Anderson and Loreen During, and in-laws Maurice and Henrietta Studer, brothers-in-law Jerry Studer and Mike Adams, and step-father Frank During.

Keith was cremated at Walton's Funeral Home, Reno, Nev. Burial will be at a later date. No service will be held at this time.

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Published by Globe Gazette on Sep. 5, 2021.

Memories and Condolences
for Keith Anderson

6 Entries

Margaret Mostrom

September 6, 2021

My deepest sympathy in your recent loss of Keith. My thoughts and prayers are with you!

Amelia Anderson Calvert

September 5, 2021

Amelia Anderson Calvert

September 5, 2021

Amelia Anderson Calvert

September 5, 2021

Amelia Anderson Calvert

September 5, 2021

"We have two lives... the life we learn with and the life we live after that. Suffering is what brings us towards happiness." - Bernard Malamud, The Natural.

My father was my first teacher and he gave me the life that I learned. He read me fairytales before I could talk; he never missed a morning's breakfast; and he sent me off to school every day no matter my mood or how much I fought him. He supplemented my lessons with detailed explanations and participated in homework and school projects. During breaks from school, he taught me all about baseball, softball, tennis, badminton, volleyball, bowling and even football.
We spent many hours at East Park where he took me to play tennis and ice skate; I learned to fly kites and spent hours at the playground. He always indulged me with trips to see the deer, feed the ducks. As I got older, we connected with music and movies. I watched TCM and learned about classic movie stars and Hollywood legends like James Dean. We listened to early rock'n'roll records, especially Elvis, and he played lots of classic country artists. One of our last best days together, we watched a Willie Nelson concert on TV, and he sang Whiskey River from his hospice bed. He was the funniest, tender-hearted man who hardly anyone ever knew.
My friends who met him thought he was so funny. He had a great sense of humor that he shared with his brothers David and Kent, and a little bit of Dad was lost when they died.
People still remember my graduation party, when my dad kept sneaking out of the house away from the adult guests and relatives, out to the garage where my friends and I were listening to music, laughing and having fun. My mom repeatedly had to call him back in to help entertain the grown-ups, but he was having more fun singing and laughing, and entertaining us.
He loved animals and adopted every lost and sick thing I would bring home, eventually taking the fishbowl outside to the front step, so the beta could get some "fresh air" and letting the cats prowl around the neighborhood at night, with him in tow with a flashlight, so he could protect them from danger.
He loved softball. I have a closet full of his old gear and jerseys and I remember time after time, Mom had to wash and dress his wounds because he would slide into base trying to help his team, and come up with terrible scrapes and cuts filled with gravel and sand. But he never stopped. During one tournament he injured his wrist tagging a man out at first base, but he would not relent and get treatment until his team was eliminated from the game. By the time he made it to the ER, the glove had to be pried from his swollen, broken wrist.
He also loved karaoke. He loved to find places where he could dive into the big book of songs and find something he barely remembered, just bits of the tune, hum the melody or a line or two of lyrics. It was a special challenge to see if he could make his way through a song he barely knew. He also had a lot of standards that he loved, mostly the old greats, Sinatra, Haggard, Elvis, Cash. He would sing the songs my mom liked to hear.
Even after he got sick, even after the surgeries and hospitalizations, (and there were a lot of them) he never gave up. He fought back death at least three times, for more time with mom and more time with me, and I know that was his greatest gift to me: His time. I will miss him terribly. Each time I came to see him, I would show up with an iced coffee and his favorite treat (sprinkled doughnuts or Arby's) and he would call out, "Hey! What's up?" and smile. And we would watch the big game, preferably the Iowa Hawkeyes basketball, or in later years, the Giants, or put on the oldies music and listen and sing. His favorite game was to think of the most obscure old tune he could remember and see if I could find it on YouTube or the internet. Despite confusion at the end, his memories of the past never faded and he could conjure up old tunes, song lyrics and baseball history.
I was so glad he was my dad and I am thankful for all the time he gave me. I only wish I would have given him more of mine. Rest in peace, KDA. You earned it.

Myron and Mary Lunning

September 5, 2021

Had a great time playing softball with "Morley" on the RoseBowl team.

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