Richard R. Anderson

1934 - 2025

Richard R. Anderson
12/16/1934 - 08/19/2025
Daddyo has departed on his last solo hike.
Richard (Dick) Anderson passed peacefully to his next place of rest on 8/19/25 after a short hospice stay with his loving family at his side. He is survived by his wife Sandra, his 5 children, 10 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild.
Dick was born the last of four children on a farm in Cicero, NY in Dec. 1934. His early days were comprised of farm work, horse drawn plows, milking stools, hunting and trapping small game for family meals. Evenings were filled with roller skating (quad skates, wooden rinks) and setting pins at the local bowling alley. Finishing 2 years of high school and a stint at A.E. Nettleton Shoe Co. in Syracuse, NY rounded out his education. He volunteered for the US Navy in 1951 in Albany, NY and became a veteran of the Korean War aboard the USS Oriskany, engine room operations.
Navy service brought shore time at the Alameda Naval Air Station where Dick found an outlet for his old passion – roller skating, just a short bus ride away in Oakland. It was at Rollerland on Telegraph Ave that the NY skater met a red headed Calif. girl, Sandra, who became his wife. They were married in Nov. of 1955 at St. Joseph's Church in Alameda and Dick was honorably discharged from his naval service in Dec. of the same year. Dick and Sandy raised their family in the same Saint Joseph's Parish.
Dick worked in industry his entire post naval career. Starting with Western Electric in Oakland he was afterwards hired onto the crew at the Oakland Machine Works. He worked his way through the ranks (helper, machinist, estimator) and became owner of the company in 1969. He was a co-founder of Bay Bolt Inc in 1981 and became the sole owner in 1995. Both companies survive him.
Dick's life was an exercise in cheerful service, particularly for youth: coaching grammar school basketball; printing the St. Joseph's Parish bulletin in the Rectory basement; setting up and tearing down for the Parish fundraiser – the El Rancho Fiesta; ushering at Mass; cheering on the SJND basketball teams.
His service extended far beyond the Parish. He took a temporary Scoutmaster position for Troop 89, Alameda, in the late 1960s that led to 5 decades of leadership and fundraising for the Alameda Council, Boy Scouts of America; driving Boy Scouts through town collecting newspapers for recycling; driving the same Scouts across the country for expeditions; organizing Golf Tourneys; See's Candy and Christmas Wreath Sales. Dick served as the Alameda Council President for 4 years and earned Scouting's Silver Beaver Award. He was an active member of the Kiwanis International Club – again, in support of youth. Dick's businesses were (and are) serviced based with personal attention to customers and vendors of primary importance. Community service remained a constant in his life.
Dick and Sandy also greatly enjoyed the company of close friends and shared with them cribbage games at the dining room table; bus trips to Reno; Oakland Raiders' games going back to Frank Youell Field.
At home Dick never lost the farmer's instinct. Every square foot of soil was planted - Dahlias, Marigolds, Amaryllises, Roses - there was always something in bloom. All stray animals were fed. Working outdoors, camping, hiking, hunting, fishing and later golf with friends were Dick's refuge and meditation time.
Roller skating was a family affair. Dick and Sandy always stealing center rink with their couples skating. Even his young children would stop skating to watch their parents float together around the oval rink. Their smiles were clear indications of their happiness.
His family thanks the kind staff at Elders Inn and Suncrest Hospice.
Services at St. Joseph's Basilica, Alameda: Rosary/Vigil 4:30 PM on 9/4; Mass of Christian Burial 11 AM on 9/5. Interment at Holy Sepulchre Cemetary, Hayward, with US Navy Military Honors, 2:30 PM. A public reception will be held at the Elks Lodge, in Alameda, 9/5 from 4:30-8PM.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Alameda District of the Golden Gate Area Council, Scouting America.
The roller skating Navy boy from upstate New York has left the rink. He will be greatly missed by many, but the tracks that he has left outline a clear path for us to follow. Harry Greer Funeral Director (FDR-745), Alameda Funeral and Cremation Services (510) 522-6020.