Ronald Clark Anderson

Ronald Clark Anderson, 86, died Sept. 6, 2021, at Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester. He was stricken ill at home the previous day while recovering from quadruple bypass surgery May 28.
Friends may call Sunday, September 12 from 1-4PM at the funeral chapel (2305 Monroe Ave., Rochester). A Funeral Mass will be held Monday, September 13, 10:30AM at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 26 Mendon-Ionia Road, Mendon. Burial in Mendon Cemetery will be private.
He was born Jan. 26, 1935, in Rochester, first child of Arnold and Ella (Clark) Anderson. He graduated from Charlotte High School in 1952. He earned the Eagle Scout badge as a teenager. He attended the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1956 with a bachelor's degree in economics.
Ron enlisted in the Army in November 1956. He served in the 3rd Armored Division in Gelnhausen, Germany, as a battalion legal clerk, and reached the rank of Specialist 5 (E5). He was honorably discharged in November 1958 and received a Certificate of Achievement from the division's commanding general.
He married Catherine "Kay" Morgan at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Spencerport, NY, on Oct. 8, 1960. He was baptized a Roman Catholic in June 1963.
Ron's career involved newspaper circulation. He was employed by Gannett Co. Inc. from 1959 to 1986 and was circulation director for: Ithaca (NY) Journal, Danville (IL) Commercial-News, Binghamton (NY) Evening Press, and the Gannett Rochester Newspapers. He was corporate director of circulation from 1971 to 1976. Ron left Gannett in 1986 to start RCAnderson Associates Inc. with his wife. They were consultants to newspapers all over the world in circulation matters, published two monthly newsletters and created training materials. In 1997, the company was split into RCAnderson, which continued producing printed materials, and Anderson, Randles & Associates, which concentrated on consulting, seminars and on-site training. Ron retired in 2007.
He served the newspaper industry further as a member and former president of the New York State Circulation Management Association, and a member and former second vice president of the International Circulation Management Association. In 1982, he received the ICMA/Editor & Publisher Distinguished Service Award.
Ron and Kay raised six children at their home on Rosewood Drive, Pittsford, which they bought in 1969. Kay died Feb. 5, 2010, and Ron moved to a townhouse in Pittsford in 2013. After Kay's death, Ron reconnected with classmate Joilee "Joy" (Collins) Mulhern. Joy was his close companion until her death May 10, 2020. Ron was the caregiver for Kay and Joy at the end of their lives.
He served on the boards of Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women; Becket Hall pre-seminary program for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester; Catholic Courier newspaper; Mercy Bridges, the literacy ministry of the Sisters of Mercy; Flower City Jazz Society; and Pittsford Parks and Recreation. He was a member of the Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse Historical Society and the Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery.
He received the Pittsford Rotary Community Service Award in 2017. He was among the 58 Rochester-area veterans on the 59th Honor Flight to Washington, DC, in May 2018, which he said was "one of the most meaningful and emotional adventures of my long life."
Ron's other hobbies and passions included: attending events at the Pittsford Senior Center, collecting newspaper memorabilia, reading mystery and Western novels, researching and sharing family history, playing Scrabble and all card games, cheering for the Baltimore Orioles, fishing, gardening, assembling jigsaw puzzles, and writing essays about his life. He compiled those essays into 21 self-published booklets over the past 14 years, and he was working on his 22nd booklet at the time of his death.
Surviving are six children and their spouses/partners, Mary and John Jenkins, Hudson, Ohio, Eric and Jennifer Anderson, Henderson, NY, Susan and James Jenkins, Fairport, NY, John and Lisa Anderson, Webster, NY, Karen and Andrew Cavacos, Philadelphia, PA, and Thomas Anderson and Jennifer Newman, Rochester; a brother, Donald, and his wife, Rose De Angelis, Hyde Park, NY; grandchildren Judith, Catherine, Patrick, John, Matthew, Elijah, Caroline, Elizabeth, Julia, Michael, Sophia, Zachary, Sarah and Gillian; great-grandchildren Callahan, Finnegan, Noah and Isla; three sisters-in-law and a brother-in-law; many nieces and nephews, and many friends who kept him active.
He also was predeceased by his father in 1962, his mother in 1992, and his brother Charles in 2004.
Memorial donations may be made to Our Lady of Mercy High School for Young Women and/or the Mercy Bridges literacy program. The address for both is 1437 Blossom Road, Rochester, NY 14610.