Neil Donald Anderson

Anderson, Neil Donald 74, long-time resident of Evanston, IL, passed away peacefully on September 28, 2014 after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease. He was always very supportive of family and friends and greatly appreciated the care they showed him in return. Born in Chicago's Ravenswood Hospital on February 26, 1940, Neil was the last of the three sons of Lawrence and Grace Anderson. He attended Lane Tech high school where he was in the Naval ROTC. There he also met his lifelong best friend, Kent Marthaler, and both went on to attend the University of Illinois and become architects. Neil began his courtship of Gayle Larson when they were students visiting Paris in 1963, and they eventually married at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago on September 27, 1969. Neil and Gayle celebrated their 45th anniversary the day before he died. Neil lived all his life in the Chicago area where he was an associate partner project manager architect for 29 years with Skidmore Owings and Merrill, the internationally-recognized architectural firm. Among major projects were the 28 trips he made to South Korea for the Lucky Goldstar twin towers project and the Shilla Hotel, the Villa-Olympica Hotel complex in Barcelona, Spain, AT&T Corporate Center in Chicago, One Shell Plaza in Houston, and the 60 State Street Building and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel renovation and addition in Boston. He later started his own firm with a partner, Sae Oh, and won the 1991 Design Competition for the New City Hall Complex in Pusan, South Korea. A longtime member of First Presbyterian Church in Evanston, he volunteered to lead their restoration earning the 2001 Design Evanston Award for Rehabilitation/Renovation. He also gave his time and expertise to develop and expand the Crudem Hopital Sacre Coeur, in Cape Haitian, Haiti earning yet another appreciation award. Despite his frequent travel for work, Neil called his wife and daughters without fail every evening he was away. He was well known for his kindness, devotion to family, genius at Trivial Pursuit, great sense of humor, and enthusiasm for travel and the fine arts. His frequent flyer miles and ability to drive in Japan, France, Togo, New Zealand, USSR, Ireland, Mexico, Jamaica, Scotland, England, and Canada expanded the adventures of his family. An avid swimmer, Neil designed and built his family home at 710 Sheridan Road in Evanston in 1975, which included an indoor swimming pool. In 1996, he and his wife moved to a townhouse in northwest Evanston where he lived his remaining years. He is survived by his wife, Gayle (nee Larson); daughter, Laura Elizabeth (Svenska) Lindroth of Evanston, IL; daughter, Kathryn Camille Anderson (Robert Lee Ferrier) of Oakland, CA; and granddaughters, Hanna Annika, Sofia Grace, and Isabella Kathryn, of Evanston, IL. Visitation at 2:00 p.m. and a memorial service following at 3:00 p.m. will be held at First Presbyterian Church, 1427 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, IL, 60201 on Saturday, October 18, 2014. A private family burial will follow at Ridgewood Memorial Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Neil's honor to First Presbyterian Church of Evanston or NorthShore Foundation DodoNA Project for Parkinson's Research, www.northshore.org/neurological-institute/research-innovation/the-dodona-project or 847-503-4336. Info: 847-675-1990 or www.donnellanfuneral.com.