Father David S.J. ANDERSON

March 20, 1964 - September 5, 2025

Spokane - Father David, former campus minister and alumni chaplain at Seattle University, died unexpectedly in Spokane, on September 5, 2025. He was 61 years old.

He was born in Rapid City, SD, on March 20, 1964, one of five boys born to Edmund Anderson and Marilyn Rae Gorman Anderson. After graduating from Gonzaga University in 1986 with a BA in psychology and religious studies, entered the Jesuit novitiate in Portland, OR, to begin studies for the priesthood. He earned an MA in philosophy from Gonzaga and taught religion and coached cross country at Gonzaga Prep, 1990-1993, before beginning theology studies at the Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley, CA. He was ordained a priest in St. Aloysius Church, Spokane on June 7, 1997.

He spent a year as parochial vicar at St. Joseph's Church, Seattle, before taking up pastoral work on Nelson Island in southwestern Alaska, where he served the Yup'ik villages of Toksook Bay, Tununak, and Nightmute from 1998 to 2006.

He returned to Washington in 2006 and served a year as pastoral minister at St. Leo's Church, Tacoma, before moving to Seattle University, where he worked as campus minister, director of Ignatian retreats, and from 2009 to 2024, as alumni chaplain. He was an avid supporter of the university sports programs and served as chaplain to various teams including men's basketball. He was also one of the chaplains for the Seattle Seahawks.

His most recent assignment was as retreat director at Immaculate Heart Retreat Center, Spokane. Father Anderson is survived by his brothers, Tim, Tom, Todd, and Shawn.

A Mass of Remembrance will be held at 7:00 PM, on Thursday, September 18, at St. Ignatius Chapel, 901 12th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 AM, on Saturday, September 20, at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Catholic Church, 330 E. Boone Ave., Spokane, WA 99202.

https://stalschurch.org/mass-livestream/