Randall John Anderson

Anderson, Randall John MADISON-Randall John “Randy” Anderson, age 55, passed away on Thursday, July 10, 2014, at UW Hospital, after a valiant fight against lung disease, which ended after complications from a lung transplant. He fought tremendously hard and always stayed positive; looking forward with the hope of starting a new second half of a wonderful life. Randy was born on May 22, 1959, in Richland Center, to Wayne G. and Adelaide R. Anderson. He married Lorretta A. Munz on January 23, 2000, in Madison. Randy endured many hardships during his life, but stayed positive and happy throughout all the challenges, such as delayed speech and losing his hearing at a very young age. Randy worked with many speech therapists, specialists and tutors through the years from a small boy to a grown man and earned his high school diploma from Ithaca High School in 1979. He didn’t stop there, he also earned his degree from Madison Area Technical School in wood technique. He then proceeded to further his speech and writing abilities at the same school by taking English as a second language. These classes gave him the passion for storytelling and writing stories. He was proud that the Madison Literacy Council actually published three of his stories and he joyfully passed out these booklets to family and friends. Randy loved to use his woodworking skills. He enjoyed making all kinds of wood creations such as boxes, tables, chests, hutches and his favorite, rocking horses. He still had plans for making keepsake rocking horses for his nieces. He was going to have the Amish do the work for him and surprise the girls. Randy was a hard worker his whole life, giving 14 years to Walnut Hollow in Dodgeville, where he met Lorretta, and another 17 years of dedicated service to Clausen’s Quality Coatings in Middleton. He was serious about work; never fooling around and working hard, with punctuality and safety being the key to his work ethic. Randy loved animals! He had wonderful stories about his dog, Elizabeth, who took him squirrel hunting and occasionally ate what she helped Randy track. Another of his favorite animals was his grulla mare, Bubbles Cinders. He took such pride in riding and showing her and was heartbroken when she passed while having her first colt, which Randy hand-raised and trained. His ultimate joy when it came to pets, though, were our three precious Yorkshire Terriers; Delight, Dolly and Pipsqueak. Dolly, especially, was his touchstone during the latter part of his illness when breathing was most difficult. She would sit in his lap and keep him calm. Randy loved history and for most of his life, was the walking, talking family historian of the Anderson’s. Traveling to historic places and soaking up the history like a sponge, was the way he enjoyed most of his vacations with his wife. Randy learned to be a fighter from a very young age. He had the courage to be strong and persevere through whatever life threw at him. He never became bitter and/or discouraged; rather, he became the opposite. He was a truly loving, kind, sincere, jubilant person. He showed it by the way he loved his family and friends and would be there for them whenever the need arose. He will be incredibly missed by all who knew him. To know him was to love him. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Lorretta; his mother, Adelaide Anderson; sibings, William (Bill) Anderson and wife, Karen Tepley, Collene Anderson and husband, Paul Reilly, Kathy Anderson, Gary Anderson and his life partner, Tamerlie Tisdale, Renee Anderson and her son (Randy’s very loved nephew), Nicolas Cardin, Jenifer and her husband Mark Laue, along with daughters (Randy’s much beloved nieces) Jessica, Valerie and Josie Laue. He was preceded in death by his father, Wayne G. Anderson. Funeral services will be held at GUNDERSON FITCHBURG FUNERAL HOME, 2950 Chapel Valley Road, Fitchburg, at 1 p.m., on Saturday, July 26, 2014. Visitation will be held at the funeral home from Noon until the time of the service on Saturday. Randy loved to keep notes on his life, especially as the lung disease progressed. He tried to note as many hospital staff as possible, especially during the last month at the hospital. Randy wanted each and every one of the UW Lung Transplant Team who took care of him to know how good he thought they all were. He wanted to personally thank you all for such excellent care. His family echoes those sentiments. Randy was very frugal and didn’t agree with money spent on flowers and/or plants unless it was in replanting trees in our forests or adding more land to our preserves. So, in keeping with his wishes, please donate what you will in Randy’s name to the UW Lung & Heart Transplant Program at www.uwhealth.org, or St. Jude Children’s Hospital at www.stjude.org Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com. Gunderson Fitchburg Funeral & Cremation Care 2950 Chapel Valley Road (608)442-5002