Robert C. (Bob) Anderson

Sports referees across the nation can breathe easier knowing that super fan Bob Anderson will no longer be second guessing their calls. Robert C. (Bob) Anderson of Signal Mountain, Tennessee passed on to greater glory recently at the age of 94. His long life was well lived.

Bob was born in 1928 and raised in Whiting, Indiana, the only child of Clarence and Mildred. From playing marbles as a little kid to football, basketball, baseball and track, “all the sports,” in high school Bob was a life long sportsman. While Bob was good at pretty much any sport, he was a star high school basketball player in Indiana in his day.

After graduating high school in 1946 Bob enlisted in the United States Navy where he continued to play and coach basketball. He first served until 1950. Thanks to the GI Bill Bob was the first in his family to go to college and enrolled at the University of Kansas (KU) because he wanted to play basketball for the legendary coach Phog Allen. That plan was delayed by his recall notice to the Navy on Christmas Eve 1950 for the Korean War. After the war he returned to KU and played one season before an old back injury ended the dream.

It was at KU that Bob met Beverly. After they graduated in 1956 they married and began their careers, Bob as a salesman and Beverly as a teacher. Bob was a salesman through and through and was in on the early days of the modern copying machine business, first at IBM and then at 3M. In 1970 the family, including sons Jon & Chris and daughter Elizabeth, moved to Signal Mountain when Bob became the General Manager of local 3M Business products dealer, The Howell Company, until 3M sold its copier division. He later worked for The Heil Company in Chattanooga until his retirement.

Bob and Beverly were married for 53 years until her death in 2009. Bob is survived by his second wife Jo Ann Blessley, his three children, two daughters-in-law, and his two grandchildren who knew him as Grandpa Bobs.

A memorial service will be held in St. Augustine’s Chapel at Alexian Village Signal Mountain on Thursday, March 9th at 1:00pm with a reception following in the Gold Room.

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