Stanley Anderson

Dr. Stanley Daniel Anderson Jr. of Arden Hills passed away on January 3, 2023.

Stan was born to Stanley and Mabel Anderson on June 27, 1937, in Gary, IN. When Stan was 9 years old his family moved to Charlotte, MI, where the family purchased a 320-acre farm for planting crops and milking cows. Stan’s father died in a farm accident when Stan was just 12 years old. Stan worked on the farm throughout high school before he graduated from Charlotte High School in 1955. After high school, Stan attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, where he graduated in 1959 with his B.A. in Philosophy. At Wheaton he also completed the ROTC program, entering the Army Reserves after graduation. He also continued his education at Wheaton Graduate School, where he earned a Master’s degree in Theology. In the fall of 1961 he moved out East to attend Gordon Divinity School (now Gordon-Conwell Seminary). After completing seminary and earning his Bachelor’s of Divinity degree, he continued additional graduate school at Boston University, where he earned an additional Master’s degree in Philosophy.

In the summer of 1962, while home in Michigan, he met Ruth Ann Shrontz at Oneida Gospel Church where she played the organ and he occasionally preached. They were married in August 1963 and remained married for 58 years before her death on Dec 2, 2021. They lived in the Boston area while Stan attended graduate school. The first couple of years they lived in Malden, MA, while Stan was a part-time pastor at Forestdale Community Church. Stan then became the full-time pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Dorchester, MA, where he would serve for three years. Also, while in Boston he completed Army Chaplain School and the training to become a chaplain in the Army Reserves. In 1968, he accepted a position teaching Philosophy at Bethel College (now Bethel University) in St. Paul, MN. He completed his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Minnesota in 1980. His career as an Army Reserve Chaplain continued in MN with an engineering unit based at Fort Snelling. He retired in 1987 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Stan taught at Bethel for over 40 years, teaching his last class in 2013. During his time at Bethel he provided leadership in many areas, particularly in the development of Bethel’s general education curriculum. More significantly he was an important teacher to many students and a mentor to other faculty members.

In his free time, he enjoyed reading in a wide variety of subjects and enjoyed watching sports, especially football and, most importantly, baseball. He started out his life as a devoted fan of the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Cubs. Once in MN he followed the local sports teams, and became a big fan of the MN Twins. Attending baseball games was something he enjoyed with Ruth and eventually his children. He and Ruth also liked to travel. He went on two summer tours of Europe with the Bethel Choir and was able to visit several other countries, including a Holy Land tour of Israel with Ruth. He managed to visit every state in the U.S. with the exception of New Mexico.

He was preceded in death by his wife Ruth, daughter Melanie, parents Stanley and Mabel Anderson, brother and sister-in-law Ken and Velma Anderson, and sister-in-law Dorothy Anderson. He will be missed by son, Mark (Kim); daughter Mindy; grandchildren, Brittany, Bailey, Lydia, Luke, and Leah; great-granddaughter Ellie; brother, Melvin Anderson; brother and sister-in-law John and Avice Anderson; and many nieces and nephews.

Funeral Service will be Friday, January 13, at 11:00am with visitation beginning at 9:30am at North Haven Church, 2240 15th Ave E, North St. Paul.

Private interment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.

A livestream for Stanley's service can be viewed here: https://join.northhavenlive.com/