Robert "Bob"  Charles Anderson (1952-2002)       

New Mexico & Colorado

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• Father - William "Bill" Thowald Anderson

• Mother - Shirley Vardiman Anderson

• Brother - James Edward Anderson

Anderson Family 1953

Parents - Bill & Shirley Anderson

1966 - Bob & Jim

Bob married
Shelly Middlebrook
1976-1981

Bob married
Nancy Woodward
1982-1988

Shirley with her grandchildren in 1999,
Addam & Julia, Bob & Shelly's Children

Bob and Girlfriend, Gail

"Bob was born in Roswell, New Mexico on June 8, 1952 at St. Mary’s Hospital. Bob was born six weeks premature and had numerous problems during his life.  The first seven years of his life he went to the hospital at least once a year for various things, but usually with a smile on his face and the comment, “Well, here we go again”.  He was a happy boy but wanted attention all the time - hated being in his playpen or even in his room with the gate on it.  Loved to be rocked and held.  When he first came home from the hospital (age 6 weeks) he had to be fed every four hours and it took him two hours to finish a bottle.  He got lots of rocking and holding then.  His biggest health problem as a child was his right eye which was called a lazy eye.  He had surgery twice for this condition but never did have full use of it. It was the cause of his being hit by a car when he was five. What a horrible experience to see your child lying in the street. He suffered a concussion, 16 stitches in his head and a broken arm. It was in the winter time and he wouldn’t wear his hat to school because the “kids like to look at my stitches”.

He loved sports and we went to a lot of baseball games. He was in Little League but had a difficult time seeing the ball, but I think he still had fun. Both boys were in Cub Scouts (six years straight - Bob started the night Jim finished) and I was a Den Mother and Bill was Treasurer for the Pack for six years. Bob finished high school, but chose not to go on to college or a trade school.

Work

He always seemed to have a job - worked in high school as a janitor at the school, also at the Wheat Ridge Manor Nursing Home, worked in restaurants and eventually learned the painting business and ended his career as a painter.

Marriages and Children

Bob married Shelly Middlebrook on May 1, 1976. Her son Addam came with the marriage and what a blessing he was to me - Bob and Shell started dating several months after Bill died and I did a lot of sitting with Addam. He was a loving child and just what I needed in that difficult time in my life. They were married a couple of years later and in 1977 their beautiful daughter Julia was born. She has also been a blessing to me and we have a wonderful friendship now. Bob and Shell separated in 1981, divorced in 1982 . Shell later married Russell Moore and we all still remain good friends.

Bob married Nancy Woodward in 1982.  They were divorced in 1988.

Bob met Gail Russell in 1990 and they were together until his death in 2002. In 1990 Bob developed a heart problem. He had open heart surgery to replace his aortic valve which gave him 12 more years. He died in 2002 at age 50 and is buried in Crown Hill."

MY LIFE STORY - SHIRLEY MARIE VARDIMAN ANDERSON
Written in February, 2006 (As I approach my 80th birthday)

Julia (Bob’s daughter) was 33 this year (2010) and pleasantly surprised with a party put together by her mother. The biggest surprise was that Addam (who now lives in Montana) was there. He brought her to tears - they have always been close. Julia lives on the west side of town (I’m on the east side) and we get together about once a month for lunch. She works in a liquor store in Evergreen. She has a boyfriend, Jeremiah, who she actually dated in junior high school and then they ran into each other at the liquor store when he was delivering products. They both have big dogs and she likes to hike with her dog on her day off. She is a beautiful girl.

Addam seems to be happy in Montana. He is painting houses and when the work gets slow he goes ice fishing. Right now he says he is real busy.

MY LIFE STORY - SHIRLEY MARIE VARDIMAN ANDERSON
Update Written in June, 2010