Roger
D. Anderson
Services
will be at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Evangelical Free Church in Grand
Island. The Rev. Gary Schulte will officiate. Entombment will be
at a later date in the Grand Island Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at All Faiths Funeral Home in Grand
Island.
Mr. Anderson was born May 23, 1942, at Madison, S.D., to John and Rosella (Gudahl)
Anderson.
Survivors of the immediate family include his wife, Melodee; a son and daughter-in-law,
Mike and Barb Anderson of Bennet; a daughter and son-in-law, Jenny and Chuck
Allen of Grand Island; two brothers and sisters-in-law, Richard and Judy Anderson
of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., and Ted and Karla Anderson of Montrose, S.D.; two
sisters and brothers-in-law, Marianne and Chuck Oyen of Salem, S.D., and Sharon
and John Perez of Walnut Grove, Calif.; and two stepsisters and stepbrothers-in-law,
Lorraine and Charlie Judstra of Sioux Falls, S.D., and Christine and Jerry VanEmmerick
of Minnesota.
Other survivors are his grandchildren, Cole Anderson, Grant Anderson, Summer
Allen, Sydney Allen and stepgranddaughter, Catherine Allen; and sister-in-law
and brother-in-law, Margo and Jack Lytal of Auburn, Calif., and numerous nieces
and nephews.
His parents and stepmother, Fern preceded him in death.
Roger was raised on a family farm near Montrose, S.D., graduating from Montrose
High School. He attended Dakota State University. He served in the South Dakota
Army National Guard. He played semi pro football for the Professional Football
League Omaha Mustangs and moved to the Western Division of Continental League
Sacramento Buccaneers.
He was united in marriage to Melodee Carey on April 7, 1968, at Sacramento, Calif.
They lived in Sacramento until 1971, moving to Portland, Ore. In 1976, they moved
to Cheyenne, Wyo., and to Newcastle, Wyo., in 1981. While in Newcastle, he established
his first Ford Dealership. They moved to Grand Island in 1986, where he went
into partnership with his brother, Dick owning and operating Anderson Ford Lincoln
Mercury Dealership. They purchased the Lincoln Ford Dealership in 1993 and St.
Joseph, Mo., Ford Dealership in 1996. His son, Mike went into partnership with
him in 1999. In 2003, they purchased the Ford Dealership in Missouri Valley,
Iowa and in 2005 the Ford Dealership in Omaha. Roger retired on June 1, 2008.
Some of his many involvements include Five Points Bank Board of Directors, Dakota
State Foundation Board, National Dealer Council for Ford Motor Company, National
Auto Dealers Association, Nebraska New Car and Truck Dealer Association, President
of Newcastle Chamber of Commerce, active member of Wheel Club for the University
of Nebraska-Lincoln, Hastings College and Missouri Western College; and he established
the Roger and Melodee Anderson Football Endowment for Dakota State University.
In lieu of flowers memorials are suggested to the Tom Osborne Teammates Program.