James D. Anderson

James Davis Anderson died peacefully on September 3, 2020. He was 92. Born July 28, 1928 in Kalamazoo to Lylah (Davis) and Hubert Anderson, he grew up with one sister, Jane Springer. He graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School and went on to Western Michigan University where he met his wife, Patricia Dewey. They married in 1950. In 1959, Jim and Pat, with three little children, moved to Thousand Oaks, California where he worked in the booming aerospace industry. After 10 years of fighting SoCal traffic and smog, Jim and family returned to Michigan to begin a teaching career at Ferris State College in the growing Manufacturing Engineering Department. He was a longtime member of the SME, Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Jim is survived by his wife of 72 years, Patricia, who resides at Director's Hall in Kalamazoo; his daughter, Karli Anderson, and her daughter Lily; and daughter-in-law, Tamera (Glatz) Anderson and her children Davis and Mia. He was predeceased by his sons, Leif Erik in 1994 and Tod Davis in 2012. Jim has been cremated and at this time no services are scheduled. While at Jim’s webpage www.avinkcremation.com please take time to sign his guestbook by lighting a candle and/or sharing a memory with the family. Jim’s family is being cared for by the Avink Funeral Home & Cremation Society, 129 South Grand, Schoolcraft, MI 49087 (269-679-5622).