Curtis Dean Anderson's Obituary
Eighty six years, nine months and 26 days after his birth in Shattuck, Oklahoma on March 1, 1934, Curtis Dean Anderson departed the earth he loved and revered to the end. The third child of Raymond Fredolph and Lillie Mae (Dishen) Anderson, he spent most of his life on the family ranch in Beaver County. He and his wife, Raymona Marie observed 68 years of marriage the day before he died. The couple moved to Arkansas in 2006.
His health began to decline a few years later as pulmonary fibrosis damaged his lungs and heart. Death tapped him on the shoulder on a spring-like December 26 while he sat outside their son, Eric's, home in Bella Vista, Arkansas. He died a few hours later at Mercy Hospital, Rogers, Arkansas.
Curtis and Raymona Roberts exchanged wedding vows on Christmas Day in 1952 at the First Methodist Church in Laverne, Oklahoma. Their sons, Arlo and Raymond Eric were born in 1956 and 1958 respectively. The couple lived in Honolulu, Hawaii for a time while Curtis was stationed with the at Schofield Barracks near there.
Although a quiet man by nature, Curtis did have a good sense of humor. Several nieces and nephews relate funny incidents they remember him by. He loved to hunt and enjoyed several trips to Colorado with friends and his pack mule during elk season. Curtis and Raymona traveled often, at first on camping trips to Colorado with their young sons and more widely as empty nesters. They enjoyed auctions, flea markets, museums, and playing dominoes at Rogers' Adult Wellness Center. A forward looking man, Curtis readily accepted change and moved ahead. He adored his family. His wife came to know well his deeply sensitive nature.
After retiring from the ranch, they moved to Beaver, Oklahoma where he operated a wrecker service and mechanic shop for several years. He took up golf and enjoyed breakfast with golfing friends every morning at Ned and Darlene's Cafe. While living in Bentonville he bought a rock cutting and shaping equipment at a garage sale and found new friends in the Northwest Arkansas Gem and Mineral Society. He made many beautiful wire-wrapped pendants. A tremor left him unable to do close work so he set about improving his reading, which had been impaired all his life due to dyslexia. He signed up at the Literacy Council of Benton County where a volunteer gave him lots of help. As Curtis's health declined he spent many hours reading western novels.
Baptized into the Baptist Church in childhood, Curtis later joined the United Methodist Church. The Living Waters United Methodist Church in Centerton was his church home at the time of his death. A genuine patriot rather than one who claimed so, he valued his service to his country and held all military personnel and veterans in great respect. He belonged to American Legion Post #341 in Bella Vista.
A few weeks before his death, he and Raymona moved in with Eric in Bella Vista. Arlo and his wife Laurie live in Pagosa Springs, C0. Their son Austin is a grad student at OSU in Stillwater. Grandson Greg, his wife Nasiba and their children Leo, Stavros, and Luna live in McKinney, TX. Step-grands Shayla Burns Amos, Kyley Burns and Chelsea Barr reside in NW Arkansas.
Curtis is also survived by his sister, Melba, in Newkirk, OK, many nieces and nephews, and Raymona's brother, Don of Wichita, KS. Curtis's brother, Richard preceded him in death as did their parents.
The immediate family will gather to lay Curtis to rest Wednesday, December 30 in the National Military Cemetery at Fayetteville. The Reverend Terry Gosnell of Rogers will officiate.
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