Rev. Gary Anderson

Rev. Gary W. Anderson, 67, of Hilliard, Ohio, died on Thursday, March 7, 2013, at Kobacker House in Columbus, Ohio, surrounded by the love of his friends and family. He touched the lives of countless people throughout his ministry and through his strength and good humor in the weeks before his death. Rev. Anderson was born in Sacramento, Calif., to the late Albert and Evelyn (Quammen) Anderson. He was graduated from Mount Clemens High School in Mount Clemens, Mich., and in 1968 obtained a bachelor’s degree from Capital University, Columbus, Ohio, where he met his wife of 42 years, Mary Lou (Boies) Anderson, who survives. He earned a Master of Divinity from Evangelical (Trinity) Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, serving an internship at Trinity Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh, Pa., before being ordained at his home congregation, American Lutheran Church in Mount Clemens. He was pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Dillsboro, Ind., from 1972 to 1978; St. Paul and Zion Lutheran Churches in rural Rockford, Ohio, from 1978 to 1993; and St. Thomas Lutheran Church in Brookville, Ind., from 1993 to 2010. Rev. Anderson was a member of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Dublin, Ohio. In addition to his beloved wife, he is survived by a brother, Alan Anderson of Mount Clemens, Mich.; children, Kyle and his wife Amy Anderson, of Hilliard, Ohio, and Kirsten Anderson of Los Angeles, Calif.; and three grandchildren, Daniel, Kate and Ava. He also served as host parent to eight Youth for Understanding international exchange students.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was a radio announcer on WCOL-FM and WCBE-FM in Columbus, and in the 1990s at WCSM AM-FM in Celina, Ohio. He served as director of Lutheran Youth Camp in Versailles, Ind.; one of the first Area Council on Aging directors in the state of Indiana; president of the Western Conference of the American Lutheran Church’s Ohio District; dean of the Southeastern Indiana Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; president of the Mercer County (Ohio) Mental Health Board; member of the Brookville (Ind.) Kiwanis Club; field manager for the Youth for Understanding international student exchange program; executive committee of Stayin’ Alive, a public-private partnership focused on increasing awareness of substance abuse in Franklin County, Ind.; 4-H advisor; and EMT. In celebration of Rev. Anderson’s life of service to his family, his community and his church, a funeral service will be held at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Dublin, Ohio, on Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 11:30 a.m. The family will receive visitors at a meal that will follow. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alumni Advisory Board Scholarship Fund at Capital University, 1 College and Main, Columbus, Ohio 43209; or to Kobacker House/OhioHealth Foundation, 180 E. Broad St., Columbus, Ohio 43215.