Eddie Duane Anderson, 89, of Valley Mills, Texas, passed away on February 15, 2017 at Baylor Scott & White in Waco.  A public memorial service is set for 2 p.m., Saturday, March 18, at Searsville Country Church, 686 FM 217, Valley Mills, Texas, with Dr. Lynn Parks officiating.  A meal and time for visiting will follow.  The family will be in charge of memorial service at the church.

Eddie was born on September 24, 1927 in Corsicana, Texas to Edwin Albert Anderson and Ethel Jewel Andrus.  A longtime resident of China Spring, he spent his childhood in the west Texas towns of Monahans, Hamlin, Abilene and Coahoma, as well as in Mt. Carmel, Illinois, as his dad followed work in the oil fields.  Eddie considered Coahoma his hometown, and held a particular love for its history and residents.  It was there he met his sweetheart, Ritzy Reid.  They married on January 31, 1947, and recently had celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.

His distinguished career with Veterans Administration Hospitals included awards for suggesting improvements that were accepted and implemented.  He worked at hospitals in Kerrville, Big Spring, and Waco, Texas; Mountain Home, Tennessee; Tucson, Arizona; Loma Linda, California; and again in Waco, where he retired in 1990 as Chief of Building Management.

A U.S. Navy veteran, Eddie served at the close of World War II as signalman aboard the USS Donner LSD 20.  A true wit, writer, historian and gifted storyteller, he was a repository of family information with a remarkable memory for detail.  His devotion to compiling both his and Ritzy's family histories was tireless and his findings rich.  He was an expert rifleman.  He loved Texas and its history, as well as hunting, fishing, cooking, gardening and exploring side roads.  He was an outstanding craftsman bursting with ideas, and leaves behind many examples of his passion for design and woodworking.

Eddie was a second-generation Swedish American, a determined overcomer of obstacles and setbacks who worked his way up professionally by believing in self-improvement and lifelong learning.  His success story would have made his father and immigrant grandparents proud.  However, Eddie believed his greatest accomplishment to be his long marriage to Ritzy. He would tell people, "I've loved that woman since the sixth grade."

Survivors include his wife, Ritzy; daughter Terri and husband Jon Ker; daughter Karol and husband Grant Shumpert; grandchildren Robyn and husband Dimitri Panayoton; Matthew Ker; Cheney and wife Debbie Anderson; Tristan Blackwell and wife Zainna Harmoush; Skyler Blackwell; great-grandchildren Shane and wife Alex Howard; Hannah Howard; Ethan and Asher Anderson; Anora, Titan, Aivva Faye, and Primrose Blackwell; great-great grandchildren Oliver and Benjamin Howard; brother Ronnie Anderson; and beloved cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Eddie's name to Searsville Country Church, P.O. Box 667, Valley Mills, TX  76689, for benefit of the Texas Baptist Retiree Builders.

Please join us in remembering Eddie by signing our guest book at www.fossfuneralhome.com