Donald Walter Anderson

Donald Anderson, 98, of Hamilton, MT passed away Saturday October 16th at Discovery Care Centre. 

Don was born February 23, 1923 to parents Barbara and Torval Anderson on a farm in Wolbach, Nebraska. Don’s identical twin brother Dale was born first just as a neighbor came through the door. In Barbara’s own words, “Mrs. Perry laughed and said she thought Don kicked Dale into the world. Then five minutes after Dale came, Don was born before the doctor arrived. In less than 40 minutes from the first symptoms it was all over. The easiest births I ever had. Don weighed 8 1/2 and Dale weighed 8 1/4. Almost 17 lbs combined. Now I wonder how I ever lived through it all!”

Of course Don made it easy on his mom. That’s what he did. For 98 years he did what he could to lift burdens off of the people he cared about most. It’s his legacy. He lived a life of service to others.

Don’s parents lost their farm in The Great Depression and in 1936 moved to Lincoln, NE where they ran a boarding house for college students. Don earned extra money doing yard work for 25 cents an hour and also caddied at the local country club for the grand sum of 50 cents a round.

Don and Dale graduated high school in 1940, and decided to join the Navy at 17 years old. They knew the war was coming and wanted to pick the service they would be in. They went to boot camp together in Great Lakes, IL. Don went on to trade school in Jacksonville, FL and then to NAS Corpus Christi as an Aviation Machinist Mate. In 1942, Don followed his brother’s lead and decided to become a pilot. After 9 months of training he earned his wings and was assigned to a PBY Catalina “Flying Boat” Squadron based out of Hawaii in 1943. Over the next 17 years Don flew just about every aircraft in the Navy. He kept incredibly detailed notes of each plane he flew- including the exact dates and locations of every single duty station from November 25, 1940 to June 14, 1960. 

From 1943-44 Don served his country in the Pacific during WWII. He patrolled the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, where he saw considerable action flying over hostile waters. At one point he lived in a tent on Ebeye Island, which was previously a Japanese seaplane base. One of his duties was flying patrols and landing in the open sea where he rescued 68 downed pilots. 

Don returned to the states in late 1944 and was based in Holtville, CA test flying carrier based aircraft after overhauls. He often flew to Corpus Christi where he met his future wife Darce. They were married on January 16, 1946 in San Diego. Their son Gary was born later that year and daughter Deborah was born in 1949. This was the start of an adventure of a lifetime for Don and Darce and their two young children.

In 1947 Don was part of an Air Transport Squadron in Honolulu where he flew DC-4 transports all over Asia. In 1948 he transferred to a Ferry Squadron in San Diego where he picked up and delivered new aircraft from factories. Starting in 1951 Don was stationed in Corpus Christi where he was the personal pilot for an Admiral from the Advanced Training Command.

In 1952, Don sadly lost his twin brother Dale during the Korean Conflict in the South China Sea. He went down with the plane he was piloting - a PBM Mariner. Fortunately, Don and Dale were able to reunite for the first time in 12 years along with their parents shortly before the accident happened. An article titled “Twin Sailors: First Joint Homecoming in 12 Years”, quotes Barbara as saying, “We have never been so sorry we let our boys enlist. It feels swell to be together again.” A little insight to how difficult it must have been for a mother to have her boys gone for so long. Don rarely spoke about losing his brother, but he did open up when his granddaughter interviewed him for a school project. It was clear how much this loss impacted his life. They looked so identical, Don often couldn’t tell who was who in photos. He tried his best to label Don and Dale, but he really couldn’t tell the difference sometimes which was amusing to his family and friends.

Don and family moved to French Morocco in 1953 and later to Naples, Italy. Don accumulated quite a collection of aerial photos of the Mediterranean region during this time. In 1954 Don was assigned to Peterson AFB in Colorado Springs where he flew the Commander, Naval Air Forces around the country to inspect military air bases. In 1956 they moved to Mexico City where Don worked for the American Embassy flying all over Central America for two years. They returned to the states in 1958 where Don was based at NAS Alameda. Here, he was a test pilot for both the P2V Neptune and Sky Raider aircraft. This was his last base before retiring from the Navy in 1960 after 20 years of service. During Don’s Naval career he logged over 9,500 flight hours and flew 26 different types of planes.

In July of 1960, Don began his second career as an air traffic controller. He started out in Great Falls, MT where he and Darce were finally able to put down roots. Their kids attended high school there and they developed some wonderful friendships. In 1970 Don and Darce moved to Oklahoma City where he was an instructor at the FAA Academy for four years. Next, they moved to Salt Lake City and later Longmont, CO where Don retired as an air traffic controller at Denver Center in 1979.

Don and Darce must have had a special place in their heart for Montana, because their next move was to a beautiful piece of property in the Bitterroot Valley south of Darby. It had a cozy log home, 20 acres, river access, gorgeous mountain views, and endless visits from wildlife. Finally a place to call home. Don stayed busy gardening, irrigating, mowing, riding four wheelers, fishing, plowing, listening to country music, helping neighbors, feeding birds and deer, and making the occasional batch of homemade wine. Their only grandchild Maya lived in Missoula and they were always thrilled to have her come visit “The West Fork”, where they included her in all the chores that needed to be done on the large property. As long as she was spending time with her Grandma and Grandpa it was fun!

In 1989 Don and Darce moved to Hamilton to be closer to Don’s mother and older sister Elaine. Here, he continued his life of service to others. They joined the First Presbyterian Church in 1990 where Don became an Elder, Building and Grounds Chairman, and Men’s Club President. He was a jack of all trades who pitched in to help however he could. During this next phase of retirement Don didn’t slow down. He donated blood to the American Red Cross regularly. He volunteered for Meals on Wheels. Don often took trips from Hamilton to Missoula to transport patients to their chemotherapy treatments at the hospital. He really enjoyed chatting with people on the ride there and back they were incredibly grateful for his help. Don could often be seen at parades or heard sharing stories at various Veteran’s events throughout the valley. One of his most exciting experiences was taking the Honor Flight to Washington DC with his good friend Frank, and 84 other Veterans. Don was 90 at the time and said, “You know this is really something. I didn’t have any idea it would be like this.” They were treated like royalty and Don enjoyed every minute.

Don loved recording and watching his “soapies” General Hospital and One Life to Live. He continued feeding the wildlife (even if he wasn’t supposed to). He enjoyed reading, napping, doing crosswords, watching the news, keeping track of the stock market, and catching the occasional football game or golf tournament. If you knew Don, you also know there was always a pair of binoculars nearby. He loved going out to the deck to look for….well anything of interest.

After 63 years of marriage, Darce passed away suddenly in 2008. Don stayed in the house for a few years but found it lonely and a lot to take care of. He eventually moved to The Remington where he quickly adjusted and made a lot of new friends. He was quite the ladies man considering well into his 90s he was still driving, having a glass of wine with dinner, and had an iPad he actually knew how to use! He found himself with a girlfriend or two- not surprisingly. Don always kept a great attitude even as his body began to age and he had to use a walker and ask for help more often. In 2020 Don moved to Discovery Care Centre in Hamilton. This was a difficult time of course with the complications of Covid in nursing homes, but true to form, he kept a great attitude along the way. He rarely complained about being quarantined and just rolled with the punches. He may have been one of the staff favorites…for good reason. He was a pretty special guy. Don passed away while in the loving care of nurses at Discovery Care Centre. Our family would like to extend our deepest gratitude to all of you who made his last days as comfortable and peaceful as possible.

Don is preceded in death by his wife Darce, brother Dale, sisters Elaine and Mary Leah, and daughter Deborah.

Survivors include his son Gary (Lou) of Hamilton; his granddaughter Maya (Adam) of Bend, OR; and his great granddaughter Zella.

A private committal service has been held for the family. Don’s extraordinary life and military service will celebrated at a later time in Hamilton. Our family requests that in honor of Don, you talk to the young people in your life about the “Greatest Generation”. We have so much to learn from them, and so much to lose if we forget their incredible contributions. Don beautifully demonstrated the characteristics of this generation- personal responsibility, humility, work ethic, prudent saving, faithful commitment. If we could all be just a little bit more like him, the world would be a better place.

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