William “Bill” Francis Andersen

William “Bill” Francis Andersen was born on Tuesday, May 30, 1939, in Portsmouth, Iowa to parents William H. and Cecelia (Zimmerman) Andersen. Bill served his country proudly in the US Army from 1961 - 1963.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents William Andersen and Cecelia Andersen/Zimmerman; step-father Hubert Zimmerman and his son Billy; and brother Gerald Andersen.
William (Bill) is survived by his wife, Mary; sons, Larry (Denise); Steve (Kate), Mike (Tess); 9 grandsons; 2 granddaughters; sister Geraldine Koch; brothers Laverne Andersen and Roger Zimmerman.
Mike summed it up so perfectly-My dad was a simple man, never really cared for material things but providing the necessary things for our family.
We were a very simple family but we always had love. As a kid, I used to love to play pickle with my dad, Steve and Larry even though I usually would leave crying because of getting hit by an errant throw, but I always came back. My dad was very proud of each and everyone of us, never having anything bad to say. Looking back, my Dad was a hardworking man, never afraid of hard work or helping others and I think he instilled that in his three boys. That is the finest quality I will always remember about my dad and I thank him for that.
Bill was the epitome of loyal-he dedicated 44 years at Fruehauf as a welder. He had the patience of a saint that allowed ;him to be a master at his trade. He woke up every day, put on his boots, and went to work to provide for our family. Talking with the boys they could count on one hand how many times he called in sick. Even if he didn’t feel good, he would get up and go to work. He truly believed that if you worked hard, treated people right, and with a little luck from God, you could have a good Life.
We remember Bill’s last day with us vividly. Bill was weak, fidgety and restless.
He spoke so quietly that at times we just could barely understand him. He smiled and pointed at each one of the grandkids as they walked in the room to personally welcome them and put them at ease.
We spent most of the day Sunday trying to distract him and to help him relax. We told him the guys were playing cribbage in the lobby. He tilted his head,  as if to say “they are playing without me!”. He started ripping off his sheets. When we asked what he was doing, he said, very confidently and clearly, “Steve is coming over, I need to get dressed so we can play cribbage”.
We helped him get a shirt on, brought the table for him to play and he told us he wanted to be scooted to the bottom of the bed so he could sit up to play. It is as if the Lord freed him from pain for him to enjoy a game. After a few rounds he said he was tired and wanted to rest. As we sat him back, Steve rounded up the cards and board rounding up the points only to realize that they ended in a tie. No win or loss-just the way he would have wanted it.
We will forever remember you.

 
 

 

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