BOONE, Iowa—James Carroll Anderson, 74, died on April 29, 2024, from non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. Jim was born on April 6, 1950, to J. Carroll and Irene Thelma (Hougland) Anderson in Jewell, Iowa. After graduating from South Hamilton High School in 1968, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Farm Operations from Iowa State University in 1972. He later completed a certificate from the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin. On October 27, 1979, Jim was united in marriage to Ann Marie Thompson in Roland, Iowa, and together they had two daughters, Pamela and Amy.
Jim valued education, hard work, and service to his community. He was proud to share that when he was growing up, neighbors would say, “One of those Anderson boys could do the work of two or three others.” Realizing that farming wasn’t a viable option for him, Jim dedicated 25 years to various roles in rural agricultural banks, ultimately serving as president of Peoples Savings Bank in Wellsburg, Iowa, where he oversaw the acquisition of two other small banks. Jim was a member of the Lion’s Club, served as the treasurer of his churches, and found fulfillment in a six-year term on the Grundy County Hospice Advisory Board. In 2005, Jim achieved his goal of owning a business when he purchased tax businesses in Jefferson and Perry, Iowa. He loved helping his clients navigate the complexity of taxes up until 2014 when a severe traumatic brain injury forced him to retire.
Jim was a man of diverse interests and talents. He was an avid scuba diver and golfer. Whether developing his own black-and-white photography, building wooden toys and furniture, or completing complicated cross-stitch patterns, he was always challenging himself. He taught himself ventriloquism, how to play the piano, the harmonica, and to shoot pool trick shots. Jim loved playing cards with his family, competing in golf tournaments and bowling leagues with Ann, and he even earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do alongside his wife and daughters. After the family moved to an acreage in 1994, Jim fulfilled a lifelong dream of owning a team of draft horses and farming with horse-drawn equipment, just like his father did when Jim was young. Jim participated in many small-town parades by designing and building elaborate floats to advertise the businesses where he worked, including a giant piggy bank, a three-layer cake, and a large corn cob made of dozens of plastic milk jugs. In later years his parade entries featured his team of draft horses pulling a horse-drawn wagon he built.
Although he was quiet and stoic, Jim had a silly, playful side that he shared with his family. He could be counted on for witty one-liners when you least expected it, and he loved telling Ole & Lena jokes. He once made up his own song called “Jim is Great,” and then taught his young nieces and nephews to sing it to him at family gatherings. He adored his daughters and not only worked hard to give them every opportunity but also to make their childhood fun and full of laughter. Jim will be missed by those he loved for his sense of humor and calm, steady presence in their lives.
Jim was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Craig Anderson; in-laws, Noel and Ella Thompson; brother-in-law, Michael Thompson; grand-nephew, Matthew Anderson, and numerous aunts and uncles.
He is survived by his wife, Ann Anderson of Boone, Iowa; daughters, Pamela Anderson of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, and Amy (Dana) Anderson Sorensen of Des Moines, Iowa; grandchildren, Alder and Ellis Sorensen; two brothers, Gary (Dee) Anderson of Jewell, Iowa, and John (Lori) Anderson of Story City, Iowa; one sister, Vicki (James) Breson of Katy, Texas; sisters-in-law, Sylvia Anderson of Roland, Iowa, and Kathie (Gary) Reinertson of Boone, Iowa; eight nieces, six nephews, and many grand-nieces and nephews.
The family expresses gratitude to Boone County Hospital and the University of Iowa Hospitals for their exceptional care, as well as the Helen Rossi Guest House for providing support to the family during Jim’s brain injury recovery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Cedar Valley Hospice or the Boone County Hospital Foundation.
Visitation will be held on Saturday, May 11, 2024, from 9:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. at Schroeder-Stark-Welin Funeral Home in Boone, Iowa, followed by a memorial service at 11:00 a.m.
The Schroeder-Stark-Welin Funeral Home, 609 7th Street, Boone, Iowa is assisting the family with these arrangements.
James C. Anderson, 74, Boone, Iowa
