Obituary of LeRoy Marvin Anderson

Anderson, LeRoy (Lee) Marvin passed away peacefully in his sleep on November 21, 2020, after 96 full years of life. Lee was born September 18, 1924, to Albin and Selma in Minneapolis. He graduated from Edison High School in 1943. In 1948, he married wife Catherine (Kitty), and they lived 62 wonderful years together in Minneapolis, Richfield, Edina and Scottsdale, AZ.

Throughout his life, Lee was many things. He was a distinguished pilot, starting his flying career in 1943 when he signed-up for the Army Air Corps. After the end of WWII, he attended the University of Minnesota and began flying for Northwest Airlines. Much of this time was spent flying DC-4s to Japan and the Orient as a co-pilot. In 1951, he moved to Wisconsin Central Airlines (which eventually became North Central and, finally, Republic Airlines), where he immediately began as captain, and logged a total 27,611 hours of flight time in his 33.5-year career. 

Lee was also an avid runner, rarely missing a day in his younger years, and a golfer, enjoying retirement on the many courses in Scottsdale. He was an accomplished woodworker, with a dedicated woodshop in his Edina home where he built picnic tables and Barbie houses still cherished by his grandchildren today. He was a card player, holding his own at family favorite “Hand and Foot” even in his final years. And he was an animated storyteller, sharing stories from a life well-lived that his loved ones can likely still repeat word-for-word. Words can’t describe how much we will miss our Ragtime Cowboy.

Preceded in death by parents, brother Albin (Sonny) and wife Catherine. Survived by sister Donna Morris; daughters Cindy (John) Gorsen, Lori (Mike) Derickson and Cheryl (Doug) Zuck; grandchildren Amy (Scott) Hughes, Scott (Jackie) Derickson, Kelsey (Eric) Baumann, Taylor (James Drury) Zuck, Jessa Zuck and Cameron Zuck; great-grandchildren Holly, Noah, Ethan, Thomas, Janessa and Isabelle; and many nieces and nephews.

A private memorial service will be held once safe to gather. Memorials may be made in Lee’s name to Dog Is My Copilot, dogcopilot.org