Arnold LeRoy Anderson was reunited with his wife of 62 years (Cherilyn A Anderson 1939-2021) and welcomed into heavenly rest by their Savior Jesus on November 26, 2025, in Furport, WA. Arnie passed after a long illness tied to his military service related to contaminated water exposure while stationed at Camp Le June, NC.

Born in Spokane, WA, in 1934, "Arnie" lost his biological father, Roy Anderson, at the age of six. Several years later, his mother, Marion (Hildahl) Anderson, remarried and moved to Colville, WA, marrying Hank Swim. Between them, they had over a dozen kids. The stepson of a gypo logger, Arnie became proficient at working logging draft horse teams throughout the Kettle River Range and the Selkirk Rockies. Sadly, Hank was prone to violent outbursts, and the Stevens County Sheriff removed Arnie from the home at age 12, placing him with a Mormon family who ran Old Dominion Sheep Ranch.

For the next several years, Arnie tended livestock between Dominion Mountain, The Little Pend Oreille Lakes, and Tiger Washington until his Uncle Gordon took him in, relocating the boy to Spokane to ensure he would graduate high school. During the summer months, Arnie flagged for local crop dusters in exchange to learn how to fly; by the time he graduated from Central Valley High School in 1952, he also had a pilot's license and would own multiple aircraft. He moved to Seattle to attend Seattle Pacific University. After a disastrous first quarter, he joined the USAF during the Korean conflict.

While assigned to a post in Biloxi, MS, Arnie and several fellow airmen were arrested for refusing to sit in front of the line demarking "colored" from white. All involved were hauled off to jail, accused by local authorities of engaging in subversive activities. After intervention by the airmen's commanding officers, they were released but not before spending the night incarcerated. All concerned were also accused of being Jewish and told never to return to Biloxi. Eventually stationed at Anderson AFB in Guam, he flew Nuclear weapons during the conflict, on many missions that remain classified and was awarded the National Defense Service and Good Conduct medals upon discharge. He was also fortunate enough to dine with President Dwight Eisenhower as a result of his duties. Upon leaving the service, he returned to Spokane, attending Whitworth. He became involved in journalism, spending several days accompanying both Richard Nixon and John F Kennedy, interviewing them during the 1960 Presidential contest-with each of them ultimately becoming history-changing Presidents.

During college, Arnie proposed to the love of his life in the middle of piloting an upside-down flight under the Kettle Falls Bridge spanning the Columbia River. His fiancée, a former Spokane Rodeo Princess, said yes. They wed the day after he graduated from Whitworth and both moved to Minnesota so he could attend Luther Seminary while Cheri continued her Executive Team Level employment with Northwest Orient Airlines in the Twin Cities-a position that afforded the pair opportunities to travel the World.

While pursuing his calling in Minnesota, Arnie served in multiple parishes in Santa Fe, NM, Iowa, and Minnesota. Then, upon graduating as an ordained minister with the Lutheran Church, he accepted his first call to a parish in Fairbanks, AK-less than 6 years after it became a state. Shortly before heading North, their first son, Tim, was born.

Arnie's time in Alaska was gratifying, although short-lived. He put his pilot's license to use serving isolated communities but unfortunately, two years post arrival, the family home went down the Tanana River in an ice jam and with Cheri's "Happy Wife/Happy Life" encouragement, they accepted a call to Glendale Lutheran Church in Burien WA- one of the regions first "mega churches", boasting the 2nd largest pipe organ west of the Mississippi, a complete education wing, gym, kitchen and no further need for Arnie to maintain his private pilot's license.

On many Sundays, the church would see thousands of worshipers, many of whom were affiliated with Boeing, SeaFirst Bank, Airborne Express, and PACCAR. Arnie served this parish from 1967-1974, and with Cheri's longstanding relationship with Northwest Orient, before the 747 was officially sold to its first customer, Boeing asked the couple to fly on a private 747 flight celebrating the company's giant next step into aviation history.

In 1974, the couple accepted a call to Faith Lutheran Church in Albany, Oregon. They spent the next decade at this congregation, with Cheri developing an Arabian Horse Breeding Program that would produce national championship horses for other farms, and they competed against the Hearst Family, Wayne Newton, and members of the Dynasty Cast. Arnie became President of the Eugene Arabian Horse Club, rode with the Linn County Sheriff's Posse, and taught their children the joy of cleaning stalls. Arnie also began to source master woodworkers to produce one-of-a-kind furniture that his wife painted in traditional Norwegian Rosemaling as well as American Folk Art. Her work would be featured in Solvang, CA, and Issaquah, WA galleries, Seattle's Pacific Design Center, and taught at the college level throughout the Pacific Northwest.

In 1989, the couple returned to Glendale Lutheran Church in Burien. In the middle of the HIV AIDS pandemic, Arnie was one of the few pastors willing to officiate "AIDS funerals' and the congregation partnered with Seattle's Chicken Soup Brigade to ensure the non-profit could provide hot nutritious meals for the hundreds of Puget Sound Residents fighting AIDS. The church also began a private school catering to local 1st generation families to bridge gaps of those who did not share English as a first language. In the early 1990s, members of the congregation taught themselves two-stepping to engage in Cowboy Church, as well as Rosemaling to transform a sanctuary utilized by Ukrainian, Ethiopian, Hispanic, and Asian refugee congregations into a more welcoming Scandinavian Prayer & meditation Chapel. The chapel was recently featured by midwestern podcasters. (In 2023, the entire Campus of Glendale Lutheran was sold to a Vietnamese Baptist Congregation, and Arnie was present for the closing services of such a historic congregation.)

When Arnie retired from the ministry in 1999, he immediately started a small trucking company leased to a custom critical on-demand freight expeditor hauling time-sensitive freight for Boeing, BAX Global, DHL, PACCAR, Schenker, and multiple other shippers. He continued this pursuit until finally retiring at age 84-relocating back to the Inland Empire and building his forever home in Furport, WA.

Arnie is preceded in death by his father Roy Anderson, Mother Marion Hildahl (Anderson/Swim), brother Gary Anderson & half-brother David Swim, and his beloved wife of 62 years, Cherilyn (Darroch). He is survived by his children Timothy, James, and Rachael; Son-in-laws Nakia Salazar and Tracy Knapp, grandchildren Kelcy and Derek; SIster-in-law Dawn Darroch; half-brothers Paul and Richard Swim; half-sisters Linnie Swim-Moore and Joyce Cobb. He is also survived by his 98-year-old Aunt Lorraine Hildahl (Schafer) as well as hundreds of nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Because Arnie would much rather be serving his mission field outside the church rather than serving within one, his services will be held graveside on TBD. All are welcome. Contributions can be made in Arnie and Cheri's name to The Wilderness Fellowship Ministries, 21897 Spirit Lake Rd W, Frederic, WI 54837.

The Anderson Family will also be holding a silent auction to equally benefit Create and The Wilderness Fellowship and to allow local residents to own some of Cheri's amazing art that has traveled the globe, graced magazine covers, and is held in private collections throughout the world. Services held privately at Newport Cemetery Wed. Dec. 3rd, 2025.