Anders Andersson

1932 - 2017

Anders Olof ("Ole") Andersson
March 13, 1932 - January 24, 2017
Monterey
Ole Anderson passed away on January 24, 2017 at age 84. He was born in Filipstad, a small town in the province of Värmland, in western Sweden, and was raised on the family farm in the nearby village of Asphyttan. His formative years were spent farming alongside his father, attending to his lessons in the village school and hunting for game in the woods surrounding the farm. Ole also enjoyed ice skating on the lake across from the farm house and reading Jack London's stories of adventure. In his earliest jobs away from the farm, he learned the trade of automobile mechanic and discovered the thrill of Speedway (motorcycle/dirt track racing). He became a successful member of Sweden's National Speedway Racing Team, travelling to numerous races throughout Europe and the U.K. during the 1950s. The lure of foreign lands and the possibility of further adventures led him to a brief visit to the east coast of this country in 1957. Liking what he saw, he returned to Sweden, made the necessary arrangements, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1958.
Ole met Phyllis Ellebracht in Los Angeles in 1959. He was the Service Manager at a foreign car dealership and she was the owner of a '58 Fiat Spyder roadster in need of repairs. The Fiat was soon back on the road, she said "yes" on New Year's Eve of that year and the wedding took place the following summer, in June, 1960. The happy couple found work in Monterey and moved immediately to the Peninsula, their permanent home to this day.
Even though Ole's farming days ended in his youth, he never wavered in his love of the land and made numerous trips "back home" for family visits and the annual moose hunt. He retired his motorcycle and took up auto racing, spending many a weekend during the 60s and early 70s racing Saabs and Volvos on tracks from Portland to Riverside as well as off-road, in Baja California. Over the past 56 years, Ole was a successful and well-respected business man. He was the owner of Scandia Motors (later Scandia Volvo) in Seaside and of Nordmark Enterprises in Del Rey Oaks. He was a charter member and past president of the local chapter of the American-Scandinavian Foundation and a longtime member of the Monterey Peninsula Country Club; a past member of the Sports Car Club of America and a member of the Historic Motor Sports Association; a member of the Pebble Beach Sports Car Club and a regular entrant, with his tornado red 1959 Byers Volvo race car (number 111), in historic and vintage auto races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Sears Point/Sonoma Raceway and Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, Calif, to name a few.
Ole is survived by his wife of 56 years, Phyllis; his daughter Andrea ("Dea") and Dea's husband, Amédée Rouiller. Also, in Sweden, his two sisters, Gertrud Forsberg and Berit Hammargren and their children and grandchildren. He is predeceased by his parents, Herbert and Ruth Andersson; his brothers-in-law Bengt Forsberg and Rune Hammargren and his nephew, Bert Forsberg.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, March 19 at 1:00 p.m. at Mission Mortuary, 450 Camino El Estero in Monterey; a reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions be made to the American Heart Association and / or the American Stroke Association. For on-line condolences, go to www.missionmortuary.com.


View the online memorial for Anders Olof ("Ole") Andersson