Dr. Paul William Anderson

Dr. Paul William Anderson

Dr. Paul William Anderson (82), of Hamilton Montana and San Diego, California, passed away on April 1, 2023.

Paul William Anderson, aka Andy or Bill, was born to Eleanor and Paul Millard Anderson, on June 16, 1940, in Missouri. Paul is survived by his ex-wife Edie Anderson and their three children, Terri, Bill (Polly) and Mark. He is also survived by his grandchildren Bryce and Kelsie and his cat Patches. Paul is preceded in death by his brother, Don Anderson, who lived in South Dakota and recently passed, and his sister Kay Anderson, who was a music teacher in Nashville, TN. Don's wife, Marilyn, is still alive and lives in South Dakota. Both Don and Paul were football sports fans.

Paul's father, PM, was related to William F Cody aka Buffalo Bill. His mother was also related to the Stewarts who were royalty and owned a famous hotel in San Francisco. She even donated items to the Cody Museum. PM's mom, Ruth Anderson actually attended Buffalo Bill's Wild West show.

He married Edie Anderson who he met in High School in Tecumseh Nebraska. Paul's father was contractor in Nebraska and Edie's family farmed with her brothers. Edie put Paul through medical school at the University of Nebraska while she worked for Mutual of Omaha and KPMG Peat Marwick. When Paul went to school everyone had to do ROTC. Paul was drafted by the Air Force during Vietnam and served state side in San Antonio taking care of soldiers wounded in Vietnam. He did his residency at an Air Force base in Salt Lake and worked in Denver, Texas, & Kalispell, Montana. He loved Montana and decided to move to Hamilton, Montana.

He was a radiologist in Hamilton from the 1970s to the 80s. He worked in the old Marcus Daly hospital in Hamilton that is now a county building, and eventually, he worked in the new hospital at its current location.

He enjoyed backpacking with the Presbyterian Church including the families of Jim Olsen and Minster Wayne Wardwell. He also enjoyed floating the Bitterroot River, skiing and fly fishing with friends and family. In the 80s he moved to San Francisco, CA to teach at the University of San Francisco. He enjoyed Napa and riding his bike.

Paul loved to run. He qualified and ran the Boston Marathon several times. He passed on this love to his daughter Terri, who competed collegiately at Montana State.

He was a sports fan. Paul's dad took him to Olympics in Europe. Back then they could eat with the athletes, which he had the opportunity to do. Paul was also an avid football fan and had season tickets to Nebraska and the SF 49ers. He watched the games with Rob Johnson and Wayne Wardwell who was an Ohio State fan. He also bragged about sitting in the end zone to Dwight Clark's catch to defeat the Dallas thrown by Joe Montana. He would often debate with his friend Keith Robinson who was the best quarterback: Joe Montana or John Elway.

Paul loved to travel, he took trips to Hawaii, Africa and Australia that involved adventures like getting charged by Elephants or other wild animals. He liked to golf, especially with his sons, and fly fish with his grandson, and attend happy hour with his local friends. His friends often commented that he never knew how to relax. He road bikes, ran, drove a car and RV around in Mexico with a cat.

He enjoyed signing in the church choir in Hamilton and San Diego. His beautiful baritone was pitch perfect. Paul never met a stranger and made friends everywhere he went. He loved to host happy hour and always had a drink and good story to share. He was good friends with Jim Olsen and Rob Johnson. He also enjoyed spending time with his two grandchildren in Colorado. He remained very physically active throughout his life. He was a character that will be missed by all who knew and loved him.

The Presbyterian Church will host a funeral service at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Presbyterian Church or the Bitter Root Humane Association in Paul's name.