Funeral services for Willis “Bill” Andersen, were held Aug. 14 at the United Methodist Church in Burke. Burial was in the Graceland Cemetery of Burke.
Willis M. “Bill” Andersen was born in Herrick, South Dakota to Ernest “Mose” and Alma Loudon Andersen March 20, 1931. Bill attended elementary school in Herrick, South Dakota with a few years in Bell, California. Bill attended and graduated from Burke High School in May of 1949. Basketball was his passion with a few records set in his day.
After graduation, Bill enlisted in the United States Army-the 101st U.S. Airborne Division in Fort Riley, Kansas August 1949. He completed his field officer training in 1950 and continued training troops for the Korean War at Fort Riley and later Fort Ord, California until November 1951. Bill then transferred to the U.S. Army reserves until April 1957 when he was honorably discharged.
Upon discharge from active military duty, Bill began working with Northwestern Bell and continued working with the company for 40 years. He was a lineman, installer, equipment and office manager. During his employment with the telephone company, Bill met and later married Mary Kuntz, June 24, 1954 in Ogallala, Nebraska. They moved to Burke in 1962 to continue raising their 3 girls, Crystal, Teresa and Shelly. Bill was married to Mary for 55 years, and not a day went by after her death in 2009, that he did not miss her!
Bill was very active in the Burke community, playing slow pitch softball, bowling for Gambles and becoming Mayor of Burke from May 1967 to April 1973. Bill was very instrumental in the development of the housing units, maintaining the Burke water tower and starting the first girls softball team with Ed Pravecek to name a few accomplishments.
Bill’s passion was his volunteer work for the Burke Fire Department and ambulance crew, alongside his brother-in-law Emmitt Hall and countless friends. Bill was also very active with his girls, attending games, track meets and never missing an important event. This tradition carried on with his granddaughter, Gabriella these past 5 years in Arizona.
After retiring from the telephone company, Mary kept Bill busy with his honey-do list, day trips throughout South Dakota and Nebraska, fishing, fixing things, taking care of his lawn/garden, playing cards, occasional trip to the casino and wintering in Arizona. The past five years, Bill became a reverse snowbird spending more time in Arizona with summer trips back to Burke. While in Arizona, Bill began new hobbies of playing Spider Solitaire, putting puzzles together on the computer, gardening and watching the airplanes fly overhead. He enjoyed watching the news, reading the hometown paper, attending Phoenix Suns NBA basketball games and sneaking away for a quick trip at the Casino’s in the Phoenix area.
Bill was a member of the Telephone Pioneers. He also was a member of the American Legion Allen B. Loudon Post 220 in Herrick for the past 58 years. Bill took pride in belonging to this Legion post named after his uncle.
After a sudden illness and a very brief stay at the Sherman House Hospice unit in Scottsdale, Arizona, Bill took his last breath with the loving support from his daughters and granddaughter. Bill peacefully took the hand of the lord to his eternal home.
Bill is survived by his daughters, Crystal Mitchell, Teresa Andersen and Shelly Liu and granddaughter, Gabriella Liu from the Phoenix area and numerous nieces, nephews and friends in South Dakota and Arizona.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Mary, son-in-law Wayne Mitchell, parents, brothers: Lester, Adrian (Wilma); Sisters: Imogene (Emmitt) Hall and Marcene (Pat) Whitley,1 niece and 2 nephews.
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