John was born on May 24, 1924 in River Falls, the only child of Herbert and Ann (Holmes) Anderson. He passed away on January 2, 2014, following a major stroke, at Kinnic Health & Rehab in River Falls with his family by his side.He graduated from River Falls High School in 1942. John enlisted in the Army in January 1945 and served in the Philippines during World War II , discharging December 5, 1945 in Japan. He re-enlisted immediately, returned to the United States and was stationed in Alaska until his honorable discharge May 30, 1947. In 1951 he married Hazel J. Johnson and in 1954 they had their only child, Karen. He was widowed in 1982 and in 1983 he found the second love of his life, Charlotte Gilbertson, and they have been together since. They made many memories together and especially enjoyed going to the cabin in Siren, WI and several local casinos.John had an amazing memory and had many stories to tell. He held many jobs over the years…hauling milk in Pierce and St. Croix counties, worked at Superior Packing in St. Paul, owned a lawn service in Memphis, TN, was a butcher in San Francisco and North Dakota, but his true love was farming. He came back to the family farm in River Falls when his father passed in 1966 and continued farming well into his 70’s. He spent a lot of time in his incredible vegetable garden year after year and happily shared the bounty with many friends and family members.He is survived by his daughter, Karen (Todd) Brabec, and his granddaughter Lindsey Sutter, and his long- time companion Charlotte Gilbertson and her children and grandchildren, plus a number of cousins and friends.Cashman-Hill Funeral Home & Cremation Services, River Falls, WI is serving the family.