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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of Gerald Mack "Andy" Anderson, who
4passed away on August 23, 2022; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Andy Anderson was born in Cass County to Roscoe
6"Jack" Phineas and Virgie Lena (McHenry) Anderson on December
72, 1922; he graduated from Petersburg Harris High School in
81940, where he excelled in multiple sports; he entered the
9Rossiter Baseball School, and in 1941 and 1942, he played
10minor league baseball with the Springfield Brownies; during
11this time, he also worked at the Allis Chalmers Manufacturing
12Plant and later at Pillsbury Mills in Springfield; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Andy Anderson was drafted into the U.S. Army in
14January of 1943; he arrived in Casablanca, North Africa and
15joined the "Big Red One" (1st Infantry Division); he was
16assigned to the demolition squad and fought in Sicily; on June
176, 1944, his unit stormed Omaha Beach; after being wounded in
18France, he rejoined his platoon, which successfully held the
19northern flank in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was wounded
20a second time; he was with his unit until shortly after V-E
21Day; he was discharged in 1945 and returned home; he was
22decorated with two Bronze Star Medals, two Purple Heart
23Medals, and a Bronze Service Arrowhead; in February of 2014 in

 

 

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1Raleigh, North Carolina, he was one of the World War II
2veterans presented with the Legion of Merit Medal, which is
3France's highest military honor; and
 
4    WHEREAS, After his service, Andy Anderson returned to
5playing baseball in the minor leagues and working at Pillsbury
6Mills; he became the head coach of the Oakford Farmerettes, a
7female semi-pro basketball team comprised of young women from
8Oakford; he frequently commented on how proud he was to be
9involved with coaching these incredible ladies from Oakford,
10including two of his own sisters, who won an AAU State
11Championship every year they competed; he was also contracted
12as a professional umpire for the Georgia-Florida baseball
13league; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Andy Anderson returned to Oakford in 1949 and
15married the love of his life, Ethel Josephine Elan Hillman, a
16nursing student from Meadville, Pennsylvania; they had met
17just twice while he was on liberty in 1943, prior to being
18deployed overseas; he carried Josephine's picture with him and
19corresponded with her throughout his time overseas; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Andy Anderson started with the United States Post
21Office as a clerk in Springfield in 1958, and he and Josephine
22bought a house in Jerome; he became active in the United
23Federation of Postal Clerks and held positions at the local,

 

 

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1state, and regional levels; in his spare time, he also
2successfully ran Handy Andy's Tree Service; he campaigned
3successfully for an elected position with the national
4American Postal Workers' Union (APWU) and moved to the
5Washington, D.C. area; he was very skilled in mediation and
6arbitration and traveled around the country resolving disputes
7involving union members until 1985; he served as the assistant
8director of the APWU until his retirement in 1986; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Andy Anderson and Josephine built a home in
10Pinehurst, North Carolina, where he held a golf membership and
11pursued his love of golf full time, playing the Pinehurst
12courses with various groups four to five days a week; after the
13passing of his wife, he remained in Pinehurst, staying active
14on the golf course, participating in Veterans' Day parades,
15having breakfast with the "Dirty Dozen" at Mac's restaurant,
16and hosting annual birthday parties at Beefeaters until the
17fall of 2019 when he moved back to Springfield; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Andy Anderson faithfully attended the Big Red One
19reunions, postal union conventions, the Normandy D-Day
20anniversaries, and special events in Springfield and Oakford;
21he established an annual nursing scholarship for a PORTA high
22school senior, in memory of Josephine; he is the only person
23who has twice been inducted into the PORTA High School Hall of
24Fame; in April of 1922, he was honored by the Clinton Lodge #19

 

 

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1A.F. & A.M. in Petersburg for 75 years of membership; he was
2generous to numerous charities, and his memory of how
3difficult times were in the Great Depression seemed to propel
4his generosity toward others throughout his life; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Andy Anderson was enthusiastic about educating
6successive generations about the sacrifices made by those who
7never came home from World War II; he passed an incredible
8legacy on to more than 40 of his family members when he
9generously paid for them to take an amazing 10-day trip to
10Europe with him, to visit the battle sites and learn about
11World War II; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Andy Anderson was preceded in death by his wife
13of 53 years, Josephine; his parents; his sisters, Lucille
14(Paul "Ham") Lutes, Roberta (Donald) Stroh, Esther (Gilbert)
15Fricke, and Phyllis Leinberger; his brothers, Randall Paul,
16Roscoe Arthur "Art" (Jackie), and Eugene "Bugeye" Anderson;
17his niece, Linda Horn; and his nephew, Bret Leinberger; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Andy Anderson is survived by his sister, Virginia
19(Otto, deceased) Winkelmann; his sister-in-law, Glenda
20(Eugene, deceased) (Bohm) Anderson; his brother, Robert "Bob"
21(Wanda, deceased) Anderson; his nieces, Deann Shelabarger,
22Brenda Vost, Lana (Ted) Grothe, Sandra (Robert) Newman, Carol
23(Kris) Blake, Beverly Leinberger, Rhonda Davis, Lisa (Fred

 

 

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1Zar) Anderson, Gina (Phil) Nottingham, Barbara Rebbe, Amy
2(Charlie) Todd, and Brenda (Kenny) White; his nephews, Andy
3(Susie) Winkelmann, Tracy (Judy) Anderson, Bart (Rhonda)
4Leinberger, Allan (Shirley) Anderson, Dan Fricke, and Greg
5(Amanda) Anderson; and several great-nieces and great-nephews;
6therefore, be it
 
7    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
8ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
9Gerald Mack "Andy" Anderson and extend our sincere condolences
10to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be
11it further
 
12    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
13presented to the family of Andy Anderson as an expression of
14our deepest sympathy.