Lance Warren Anderson

Lance Warren Anderson as born in Dady, Florida on January 21, 1923. Out of high school at 16, there were stints as construction messenger, driver, Special Delivery messenger and substitute letter carrier. In World War II he was an Army Air Force pilot and advanced pilot-instructor at Craig Field in Selma, Alabama. On July 2, 1944 he married Joyce Bledsoe. He was a General Officer’s pilot in Ninth Air Force in Paris and while on leave to London on New Year’s Eve 1944 the building next to the one he was in was hit by a V-2 rocket. He spent a year at the Army No. 1 Regional Hospital, the Biltmore in Coral Gables where he got lessons in golf from Ben Hogan. The post-war GI Bill paid for two college degrees. He was captain of the LSU golf team and never lost a match in competition. He was a postman, a reporter for the Pensacola News Journal, radar research technical editor at Eglin, Major General’s civilian aide, the Chief of Public Information for the Air Force Armament Center and was in public relations with Chemstrand in Decatur and New York. Chosen for the CEO’s personal advisory troika brought loan to Monsanto to guide consolidation of 11 subsidiaries based in Brussels. Upon completion, he led development of new pay and benefits for 58,000 persons worldwide. At 45 he retired to Appalachicola which lasted a couple of years and included mastering the craft of making hand-tied nets. He made many nets for his nephews. This was followed by public service as the city manager of Appalachicola. Next, he organized and headed a tool manufacturing company in Panama City. He spent four years in Khartoum, Sudan liaising with the client government in a billion dollars development project. Work for hire ended with five years and a vice presidency in a design and construction company in Baton Rouge. Since 1985 he has lived on the family farm in Walton County and operated Luana Press. He served on the Florida Baptist Witness Commission for 6 years with 3 years as chairman. He worked with the International Baptist Theological Seminary of Eastern Africa in Arusha, Tanzania which is now Mount Meru University and is now approved to train school teachers by the government of Tanzania. During the Rwanda genocide he worked in a refugee camp at the border of the Rwanda and Tanzania.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Joyce Bledsoe Anderson. His children, Shelia Anderson, Lance Anderson Jr., Mark Anderson and Joan Anderson MacDonald. Seven way-above-average grandchildren, three prize great grandsons and one delightful great granddaughter.

A time of visitation will be 7:00 until 9:00 P.M. Friday, February 11, 2011 in Jerry Evans Chapel. Funeral services will be Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 10:00 A.M. in Pleasant Grove Baptist Church with Dr. Jack Brymer officiating. Burial will follow in Pleasant Grove Cemetery. Friends and family may go on line to view obituaries, offer condolences and sign the guest register at jerryevansfuneralhome.com