James Robert Anderson's Obituary
James Robert Anderson, 87 Jim Bob Anderson entered this world in Prince, West Virginia eighty-seven years ago, the second child of Jim and Helen Anderson’s ten children. He left us on August 11, 2021 and were all the better for having known him. His life was not always an easy one which most people wouldn’t have known from his very generous nature. At three years of age as he followed his father to work in the train yard and as his mother hung the laundry on the line not knowing he was gone, he crawled under the train. The train began to move and forever changed his life as it took off his right arm. He survived and flourished athletically playing baseball, basketball and football. He graduated from Mount Hope High School in 1952. He was drafted for military service and after examinated by seven doctors it was determined he was exempt from service due to his missing arm. With military service not an option and a bleak picture for employment in West Virginia at that time, Jim Bob ventured to Chicago where he had relatives as a base. Finding the city life not suited to him, he returned to West Virginia until his father told him “Boy, you got to go!” In 1957 he set off for Delaware where again he had a base of relatives with the Cochran family and in Delaware he found a home. In Delaware he found employment with the majority of time in sales. He found his niche in agricultural sales and enjoyment in his work with farming families with whom he established lasting and fond relationships especially with the families of T. Gary Simendinger and Al Moor. He retired from his work with farmers after twenty-five years ending his career with Southern States, the company he most admired. On retirement he went on to find employment that he looked back on as one of his most enjoyable with Mike Zimmerman’s BBC Properties and Sal Leone’s Seaview Builders where he ran heavy equipment and generally fulfilled whatever they might request. He established lasting friendships among those with whom he worked. He was always especially grateful for his friendship with Mike Zimmerman who generously saw to it that Jim Bob attended the Masters and a Green Bay Packers game at Lambeau Field. Through his years he never lost his interest in athletics; playing in a fast pitch league and later slow pitch as a pitcher on several teams, the most memorable of which was “The Hawks”. Once again he established life long friendships among his teammates. He was an avid NASCAR fan and held season race tickets at Dover Downs but also made multiple trips to the Daytona Five Hundred as well as other tracks. He was a life long fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers. Not only did he play golf, he enjoyed watching golf tournaments on television. It would be remiss to not mention that most of these activities involved drinking beer which was another of his pleasures. One of his greatest joys in late life has been his grandchildren, Charlie Lou and Carter James Tremaine. In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by his sister, Jeannie Belle and brother, Charlie and his brothers-in-law, Elmer Wooleyhand and Rick Carlton and sister-in-law Ruth Anderson. He is survived by Nancy Vodvarka and her daughter, Danica Collins and husband, Ed, daughters, Peggy Anderson and husband, James Murray and Corey Tremaine and husband, Kevin James (KJ); brothers Jack and wife Carol, David, Donal (Buzzy), Howard (Deedle) Anderson and sisters Agnes (Sissy) Hicks and husband Steve, Geritzi (Ritzie) and Brenda Wolleyhand; grandchildren Charlie Lou and Carter Tremaine and EJ and Kate Collins as well as many nieces and nephews. A Celebration of Life Gathering will be held on Saturday, August 21, 2021,1-4 pm, with rememberance speakers at 2 pm at The Lodge, 115 Moorton Rd., Dover. Family and friends are asked to join us. Please dress casually; he would want it that way. Jim Bob especially disliked seeing children in pain, so the family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in his name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN. 38105.letters of condolences may be sent to www.traderfh.com
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