Obituaries

Loyde C. "Andy" Anderson was born on May 29 1929 in Livermore IA to Walter Anderson and Irene (Brown) Anderson. Andy"s last roll call was September 30 2013. Funeral services for Loyde C. "Andy" Anderson will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday October 2nd in Cedarlawn Memorial Park in Sherman. Officiating will be Retired Air Force Chaplin Col. Carl Bilderback. Military honors will be conducted by the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard. The family will receive friends at the Cedarlawn Mausoleum one hour prior to service time. While living in Dallas he was captain of his school crossing guard then transferred to a school so that he could take JROTC . Andy attended high school in Duncanville but dropped out in the 9th grade. Andy worked weekends and holidays to pay for Flight training lessons and at sixteen years old he had his first flight solo. The day after his seventeenth birthday Andy enlisted and the Air Force became his career for 25 years. He married Madgie Lou McKee on December 18 1974. Two weeks into boot camp Andy was assigned Duty Drill Sergeant and began training 65 recruits. After boot camp he was assigned to Eglin Air Force Base and B-29 school. He was then assigned to B-17"s and went to Marshall Island for Atomic Bomb testing. Each aircraft had a drone that flew through the cloud that would pick up samples. His next assignment took him to Barksdale Air Force base in Louisiana. He would then crew on a B-45 the first four-jet-engine bomber. When the Korean conflict started he requested to be transferred to a B-26 Night Photo aircraft squadron and went off to Korea for the next two years from 1950 to 1952 as Crew Chief where it was his privilege to serve side-by-side "...with many heroes." Andy returned to Kelly Air Force Base and the Turbo Test Squadron to test the engine for the C-130 aircraft. From there he was off to Flight Engineer training where he flew on the C-54 from Charleston Air Force Base to Europe Africa and South America then transferring from there to McGuire AFB in New Jersey. There he flew on the C-118 aircraft. While training for the C-118 he set a record on the flight simulator. He flew to an island in the South Atlantic to support tracking for NASA. One of his missions was to fly just North of Canada to land on ice to deliver high explosives to help a Navy Submarine break ice if there was an emergency. From there he transferred to Alaska and was assigned as Crew Chief and Flight Engineer for the Alaska Army Command General. This was to end 10 000 hours of flying time for him and completed his duty as flight engineer trainer. Andy requested to be removed from flying duty and was assigned the duty of aircraft inspector and quality control where he inspected six different models of aircraft and facilities for safety. His first assignment was at Perrin AFB as Base Flight Chief then off to Turkey for one year. Upon his return he received the joint Army/Navy/Air force award. His second assignment to Perrin AFB was as 2nd shift Field Maintenance Supervisor. Andy was determined to retire at Perrin AFB so in 1971 with 25 years of service he retired. Andy was employed at Montgomery Ward"s as Auto Parts Manager Calhoun Mobil Distributors and then at Andys Pit Stop at Cam Corners in Sherman and after closing it he called J.B. Hunt and went to work for them driving within 48 states as well as Canada. Andy attended Grayson County College and completed course studies in mid-level and industrial management. Andy is a life-long member of the Baptist faith a 32nd Degree Master Mason Life Member of DAV VFW Amvets and American Legion. Preceded in death by his parents Walter and Esther Anderson. He is survived by his wife Madgie Lou Anderson three children son Loyde C. (Little Andy) Anderson a U.S. Marine Cynthia Barnet and Sandra Fletcher two very special stepchildren Becky Blackburn and husband Bob Robert McKee and wife Julie. Now I tell a secret of my success and long life. I give credit to my wife Madgie Lou Anderson. I call her "My Blessing"" balanced meals one day off from work to go fishing guaranteed while at the Pit Stop.. Thanks honey.