Posted on 08/19/2019
Forrest P. "Bill" Anderson died at age 89 on Friday August 9, 2019 at Peninsula Regional Medical Center. He was surrounded by family in his last hours. He had been a resident of Salisbury, MD since June 2017. He lived in Virginia Beach for most of the prior 40 years. He was born on June 12, 1930 in Memphis, TN. He was the son of Jerry M. Anderson and the former Dorothy Burnett.
He is survived by his wife, Hathaway G. "Happy" Anderson, residing in Virginia Beach. They were married on September 17, 1954, in Montgomery, AL. He is also survived by his children, Robert G. "Bob" Anderson (Donna) of Salisbury, Elizabeth P. "Libby" Anderson (Joe Mahon) of Garrison, NY and William K. "Bill" Anderson of Asheville, NC.
He had two grandchildren Robert G. "Rob" Anderson, Jr (Tori) of Salisbury and Christine E. "Christy" Hallman (Steve) of Salisbury. He had seven great-grandchildren: Brooke, Ellie, Will and Seth Anderson as well as Brinley, Charlotte and Sawyer Hallman. He received months of compassionate care and friendship from his family in Salisbury as well as from Visiting Angels and at Atria Assisted Living.
He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather (known as Granddaddy). He was courageous, tough, ambitious, a Patriot, a leader and a problem solver. He often had a servant heart. He traveled to many parts of the world while in the Navy. He continued to travel, mostly to England, in retirement.
Forrest P. Anderson entered the Naval Academy in 1949 and graduated in 1953. He retired from the Navy in 1981 with the rank of Captain. During his time in the Navy, he served at 12 different duty stations in Florida, Virginia, California, Hawaii and Italy. He flew over 200 combat missions, in Vietnam, as a Fighter Pilot primarily flying the F4-Phantom. He was Commanding Officer of Fighter Squadron VF 213, USS Spiegel Grove LSD 32 and the USS Oriskany CVA 34 Aircraft Carrier. The Spiegel Grove and Oriskany now serve as artificial reefs off the coast of Florida.
During his Navy service he was awarded numerous medals and service ribbons. These include the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star Medal (for Valor), the Air Medal and the Presidential Unit Citation.
He joined Kidder Peabody in Norfolk, VA in 1983 as an Investment Advisor. Kidder Peabody became Paine Webber and eventually UBS. He retired from being an Investment Advisor in 1999.
He helped his wife open and operate Arcana Fine Linens in Virginia Beach. They also designed a custom vacation home that was built in 1986, near Kilmarnock, VA. The home was the site of many fun gatherings with friends and family. These gatherings included boating, fishing, eating crabs, enjoying the outdoor decks and the boat dock.
In Virginia Beach, he was very active in the Princess Anne Rotary Club and served as a volunteer at the Virginia Marine Science Museum for over 15 years.
He and his family attended Galilee Episcopal Church in Virginia Beach, starting in the late 1960's. A Memorial Service will be held at Galilee: 3928 Pacific Avenue at 11 am on Friday August 23, 2019. Reverend Nigel Mumford will be officiating. Any memorial gifts may be made to the Building Funds at Galilee in Virginia Beach or Providence Presbyterian in Salisbury, MD. Arrangements are being handled by H. D. Oliver FH in Virginia Beach and Holloway FH in Salisbury. A service may be held in Salisbury, at a later date.
Published in The Daily Times from Aug. 18 to Aug. 21, 2019