Jesse Richard Anderson
February 1940 March 21, 2021
Jesse Richard “J.R.” Anderson, 81, of Bella Vista, Ark., died Sunday, March 21, 2021.
He was born into a family of farmers in February 1940 in the Missouri town that bore his ancestral name, Anderson, Mo., founded in the late 1880s. He was one of eight children born to parents Ted and Jessie. He played varsity baseball at Anderson High, now known as McDonald County High, attended Joplin Junior College and earned a bachelor’s degree in automotive science from Pittsburg State University in Kansas. He married Layne Anderson, a schoolteacher, in 1963. He served in the Missouri National Guard for 14 years and worked 28 years for Allstate Corporation until he retired in 1995. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and golf. In 2002, they moved to Bella Vista and enjoyed traveling.
He was preceded in death by brothers, Ted Anderson of Fort Collins, Colo., Jerry Anderson of Seneca, Mo.; and sisters, Patsy Hackney of Norwalk, Calif., and Helen Stephens of Anderson.
He is survived by his wife, Layne Anderson; daughters, Ginger Bridis (Ted) of Gainesville, Fla., Jill Anderson Patterson Stout (Mike) of Bella Vista; seven grandchildren; two brothers, Buddy Anderson (Marilyn) of Windsor, Colo., Paul Anderson (Donna) of Grove, Okla.; and sister, Connie Coonrod (Joe) of Rolla, Mo.
Graveside service will be at 2 p.m., Friday, March 26, 2021, at Peace Valley Cemetery in Anderson, Mo.
Memorials may be made to Circle of Life Hospice in Bentonville, Ark., and First United Methodist Church of Bella Vista. Online condolences may be expressed at www.funeralmation.com.