Arthur R. Anderson

Arthur R. Anderson, age 91, formerly of Oak Park,Illinois; passed away September 17, 2021 at his home in Orland Park, Illinois. Arthur was born on February 14, 1930 in Oak Park, Illinois and is the son of  Arthur J. and Hilda Fauske Anderson.  At the age of four, he traveled with his mother to visit his grandparents in Bygstad, Norway. Because of World War II and the take over of Norway, he was detained there as an American Citizen in an occupied country and did not return to his native America until he was 16 years of age. In 1951 Arthur graduated from York High School in Elmhurst, Illinois. He then attended and graduated from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Illinois receiving his bachelor of Arts and his master's degree in Education. Arthur began work as a carpenter and spent twenty years as a vocational building trades teacher at Lockport High School in Lockport, Illinois. This program benefited hundreds of students with whom he enjoyed working with very much. He described these as the best twenty years of his life. On June 23, 1965 Arthur married Marjorie Raglin in the Lutheran Church in Bygstad, Norway and the church where he had been confirmed as a boy. Thereafter they lived in Arlington Heights, New Lenox, and Orland Park, Illinois. Arthur was an avid skier and also a world traveler, from the Arctic to the Antarctic,  once teaching workshops in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. He loved people and had a special talent in working with them whether in the classroom or in the leading ski trips for the ski shops he managed in Chicago, Illinois and in Kingfield, Maine. He was a member of the United Methodist Church in New Lenox, Illinois, the local Exchange Club, and local # 558 of Elmhurst, serving ten years as president.  He is survived by his son, James T. Coffey and Darlene of Tinley Park, Illinois and his three grandchildren, James, Ashley, and Meagan Coffey, and numerous " Country Cousins " in the Monmouth area. 

A graveside service is planned by his family on March 12, 2022 at 10:30 am at the Monmouth Cemetery. Cremation has been accorded in Orland Park last September. A memorial fund is being established for Fairview Center Church of Rural Monmouth, Illinois. 

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