James "Jim" Joseph Anderson

Age 95 of Stillwater Minnesota, passed away on January 29, 2025.

He is survived by his wife of more than 72 years, Katherine (Kay) Anderson, their 7 children - Mark Anderson and spouse Karen (Koenig), Nancy Nelson (Anderson) and spouse James (Jim), Jeanne Anderson, Pat Anderson and spouse Susan (Mary Fuhrman), Meg Brownson (Anderson) and spouse Thomas (Tom), Ellen Anderson Penno, and Dana Anderson, 19 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren, along with his beloved Springer Spaniel, Dixie. He is also survived by his sister, Ellen Counts (Anderson). Many thanks to his caregiver, Jenny Banta. 

He had a long and adventurous life, including completing a degree in Civil Engineering in 1952 and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering in 1968 at the University of Minnesota. He was recognized as a pioneer in the field as one of the first engineers to use computerized systems in wastewater management. His children remember road trips packed into the station wagon when they were young, and later Jim and Kay travelled worldwide into their eighth decade. He pursued his hobbies including ham radio and World War Two aircraft with passion, collecting a lifetime of adventure stories that he loved to tell.

Jim attended Nativity and St. Andrew Grade Schools and Murray High School in St. Paul, class of 1946. As a result of his work assisting in the design of a full-scale anaerobic treatment plant and expansion for the Minneapolis St. Paul Sanitary District, he gained attention of other large cities and in 1970 founded Watermation Engineers consulting firm which worked in the US and overseas. In 1980, he transitioned to purchasing WR Medical which grew from less than ten to nearly seventy employees after relocating to Stillwater. Jim was a member of numerous associations including Rotary, Lions, Jaycees (St. Paul), Stillwater Amateur Radio Club, ASCE, AWWA, EAA, and ARRL. 

Jim and Kay were longtime residents of Marine on St. Croix, before moving to Stillwater, Minnesota. A celebration of life will be held June 21, 2025, on what would have been his 96th birthday. More details will be announced closer to the date.