Paul Andrew Anderson

Paul Andrew Anderson of Elk Creek, son of Harry and Regina Anderson, was born on October 30, 1951, in Brooklyn, New York. He passed away on August 6, 2025, in Springfield, Missouri.

Paul was born into a military family and spent his childhood moving between military bases in Arizona, Washington and Japan. His family moved frequently and traveled across much of the United States. After his father retired, the family was living in Tucson, Arizona when his father ran an ad in the newspaper "Will trade for property out of state". This is how the family came to live on a farm in Solo, Missouri in Paul's early teenage years.

Living in Missouri cemented Paul's love for the outdoors. He loved farming, hunting, fishing and learning about conservation of land and wildlife.

Rather than wait to be drafted, Paul left for Marine Corps boot camp six days after graduating from Houston High School in 1969. During his career in the Marine Corps, he worked in various roles. He worked in aircraft maintenance for the Huey helicopter in Camp Pendleton, California. He was on recruiting duty in southeast Missouri and Atlanta, Georgia. Toward the end of his career, he worked as a technical coordinator at NAS Memphis between the Navy and Marine Corps and civilian contractors and traveled extensively around the United States, Japan and Australia.

Paul married Janet Williamson in 1973. They had four children, Alicia, Ryan, Andy & Dawn. Paul and Janet were also foster parents for many other children. After Paul retired from the Marine Corps, the family moved back to the Houston area. After Janet's death in 1999, Paul married Rebecca (Becky) and was a loving dad to three more children, Tim, Karen & Duke.

In his retirement, Paul's favorite activities were drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, watching wildlife and overengineering every farm project. He loved goats and bees and he started beekeeping. He was a member and a mentor for beginners with Beekeepers Association of the Ozarks. He loved sharing his bee knowledge with others, especially children.

Paul is preceded in death by his parents and his brothers Lee, Glenn, Dan, as well as his son Tim and wife Janet.

Paul leaves behind his wife Becky of the home, his children Alicia (Shannon) of Springfield, MO, Ryan (Debbie) of Moorhead, MN, Karen of Houston, MO, Andy (Sarah) of Klamath Falls, OR, Dawn (Josh) of Lynchburg, MO, and Duke (Kaitlyn) of Elk Creek, MO, 17 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren, one sister Amy, and two brothers, Neil and Mark. He was a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather. He will be deeply missed.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for any donations to be sent to Beekeepers Association of the Ozarks, Wounded Warriors or any organization that supports homeless veterans.