More detail on this person: LTC (Ret.) John H.
Anderson of Ozark passed away Saturday, July 19,
2014, at Baptist Hospital South in Montgomery, AL,
as a result of complications from surgery. He was
84 years of age.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00pm on Friday,
August 1, 2014, in the chapel at Fuqua-Bankston
Funeral Home with Reverend Jim Duhaime
officiating. Visitation will be at the funeral
home Friday beginning at noon until time of
funeral service. Burial will take place at a later
date at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington,
Va.
The family requests active and retired members of
the Armed Forces wear their uniforms to the
funeral service.
John was born in Brooklyn, NY, to the late
Alexander P. and Elizabeth M. Anderson on
October 3, 1929. After graduating from James
Madison High School, he went to work at the
International Air Transport Association. It was
there he met the love of his life, Mary Kraus.
After being drafted into the Army and rising to
the rank of Second Lieutenant, he and Mary were
wed at Fort Hamilton, NY, in 1952. Together they
enjoyed his assignments at Fort Lewis, WA; Gary
Air Force Base, TX; Camp Rucker, AL; Mainz,
Germany; Fort Bliss, TX; Fort Rucker, AL; Fort
Sill, OK; Omaha, NE; and Fort Leavenworth, KS.
John also had one combat tour in Korea and two
combat tours in Vietnam. Eventually, John and
Mary settled in Ozark, AL.
Some of his numerous decorations from his Army
service include: Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with
Valor, Purple Heart, Air Medal, Army
Commendation Medal, and National Defense
Service Medal and attained the Master Army Aviator
Badge.
Following his retirement from the Army as a
Lieutenant Colonel, John was hired, along with 1st
Sargent Mel Fairchild, to establish the Daleville
High School Junior ROTC program in 1971. As
Senior Army Instructor, John served as the rifle
team coach and led his teams to numerous local,
regional, and national championships. He worked
closely with students to develop their leadership
skills and to help them further their education.
These actions resulted in many of his students
acquiring college scholarships as well as many
appointments to Military Service Academies. John
retired from Daleville High School in 1992.
John was active in many Army and civic
organizations during his life, to include serving
as President of the Fort Rucker Chapter of The
Retired Officers' Association. In his
post-retirement years he also served as the Senior
Information Officer for the shooting competitions
at the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta,
Georgia.
John was pre-deceased by Mary, his loving wife of
61 years. He is survived by one daughter, Ginny
Anderson, Montgomery, AL; two sons and
daughters-in-law, John and Lynn Anderson, Raleigh,
NC; Scott and Tommye Anderson, Atlanta, GA; two
granddaughters, Leslie Anderson and Jenna
Anderson; three step-grandsons, Jeffery Craddock,
Elijah Craddock, and SPC Shane Craddock; one
niece, Liz (Ed) Hawks and one grandniece,
Alexys.
The family extends special thanks to the CVICU
nurses at Baptist Hospital South and the staff of
Fuqua-Bankston Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial
contributions be made to Daleville High School
JROTC Rifle team (http://goo.gl/hWrrXO) the
Wounded Warrior Project
(www.woundedwarriorproject.org), or USA Shooting
(www.usashooting.org).
Fuqua-Bankston Funeral Home in Ozark (334)
774-4551 is in charge of the arrangements.
Members of the Dignity Memorial network.
Condolences may be offered at
www.fuquabankston.com
This information was last updated 04/21/2017
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