Irving H. Anderson

1927 - 2017

July 15, 1927 - December 18, 2017 A lifelong Southern California resident, Irving was born to Sherman Anderson and Camilla Hotchkis in Beverly Hills. At age 17 in 1944, he snuck into the Navy to serve his country in World War II. After he was honorably discharged as a Seaman First Class in 1946, Irving attended Stanford University where he met lifelong friends and graduated with a major in Political Science in 1951. He always bet on the Big Game (and he usually won those bets, including the one he placed last November). Irving was married to Virginia Hotchkiss from 1951 to 1957 and had one son Chris Anderson. He was married to the love of his life (and a Cal graduate and Democrat) Gwenna Coyne from 1965 until her death in 1994, proving that love could overcome undergraduate rivalries and political partisanship. He was a loving, hands on stepfather of Gwenna's two sons by a prior marriage, Charlie and Peter Thomas. For 44 years from 1951 to 1995, Irving was a highly successful and respected insurance broker at Marsh & McLennan, specializing in the aviation industry and placing insurance for the likes of Lockheed and Hughes. For the past 23 years, Irving has been the loving companion of Sheila Bullock. The two were introduced by a close friend when Sheila had an extra ticket for the USC vs UCLA football game and they figured out, while walking down the Rose Bowl tunnel together, that they had grown up three blocks apart and had both attended Hawthorne Elementary School in Beverly Hills. The years that followed were full of wonderful adventures to far flung places, including Paris, London, China, Spain, Morocco, Copenhagen, Norway, to name a few together with an African safari and cruises down the Danube and the Mississippi River. Irving was a body surfer extraordinaire and relished handing down that passion to Chris, Charlie and Peter, whether at Will Rogers State Beach or in Mazatlan. A sailor, one of Irv's lifetime highlights was his participation in the Transpacific Yacht Club Race to Hawaii in the early 1960s. Irv loved sailing jargon. He would often exclaim "Clear the Hatch!" and "Shore Boat!" to distracted family members. Irv was a born kidder and his playful side was a gift to family and friends. To his family, he was "The Friend of the Noon Spy," and "IHA the Boy Wonder." His dogs were a special joy and comfort, especially "Mr. Hobbs" who sadly passed away in 2017. One of Irv's greatest lifetime accomplishments was that he was sober from 1975 until his death by being an active member of a fellowship that helped many others. Irving quietly gave to many charities and engaged in random acts of extraordinary kindness, such as paying for the college tuition of the son of his housekeeper whom he always considered a member of his family. Irv died peacefully at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on December 18, 2017. He is survived by Chris and his wife Janet of Santa Cruz, California, and Chris's two stepchildren Patrick and Brenna. He is also survived by Charlie and his wife Katrin of Arlington, Virginia, and their children Miriam, Sylvie and Peter, and by Peter and his wife Anne of Washington, D.C., and their children Kate, Matt and Blythe. In February, Irv's close family and friends will gather to celebrate his life and, according to his wishes, scatter his ashes in the Pacific Ocean, five miles from Newport Beach where Gwenna's ashes were spread in 1994. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Irv's honor to the Los Angeles SPCA and the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles.