Charles B. Anderson, Sr., 102, of Bellefonte, passed away on Monday, August 30, 2021, at Centre Care. Born on February 20, 1919, in Bellefonte, he was the son of the late George D. and Violet (Bachman) Anderson. On June 27, 1941, he married his beloved wife, Ida Grace (Walker) Anderson, who preceded him in death on February 19, 2005, after sharing nearly 64 years of marriage together.
Charles attended school in Bellefonte. He served in the 3rd Division – 7th Infantry of the United States Army from 1942 until he was honorably discharged in 1945. He began his service in North Africa, where he was a machine gunnist. He was then moved through the Mountains of Italy before going to Sicily. Following his time in Italy, he moved to Southern France, where he fought in the Battle of the Bulge, Germany, where he saw the gas chambers and mass graves, and aided in freeing those who were still in the concentration camps; and ended his service in Austria, where he saw where Hitler’s summer home was located. During his time in the service, he was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the Distinguished Unit Badge, the European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal with seven Bronze Stars, and the Bronze Service Arrowhead. He worked as a repairman for National Gym, formerly, Domtar, for over 40 years until his retirement in 1981.
He is survived by five sons, Gary E. Anderson, James “Jim” V. Anderson, Denis R. Anderson (Cindy), all of Bellefonte, Thomas “Tom” L. Anderson (Sandy) of Lock Haven, and Robert “Bob” L. Anderson (Gail) of Spring Mills; 10 grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren.
In addition to his wife and parents, he was preceded in death by one daughter, Anna Williamson, in 1990, and one son, Charles B. Anderson, Jr., in 2017. He was also preceded in death by four sisters, Emma Walker, Ester Grove, Ruth Frye, and Jean E. Anderson, and five brothers, John, William “Bill”, Edward, Robert “Bob,” and Kenneth; he was the last of his generation.
He was a member of the Valley View United Methodist Church in Bellefonte. Additionally, he was a life member of the VFW Post 1600 in Bellefonte, and a member of the I.O.O.F. Bellefonte Centre Lodge No. 153. He enjoyed the outdoors, especially fishing and going on mountain rides. He looked forward to bowling with the retirement league at the Bellefonte Lanes, watching Little League Baseball, and going to Sunset West for breakfast.
There will be a public viewing held on Thursday, September 2, 2021, from 6-8 pm, at Wetzler Funeral Service, Inc., 206 N. Spring Street, Bellefonte. Funeral services will be held on Friday, September 3, 2021, at 10 am, at the funeral home with Pastor Lynn Wilcox officiating. Burial with full military honors will immediately follow at Meyer Cemetery in Bellefonte.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in memory of Charles to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or http://www.stjude.org/donate/, or to a charity of the donor’s choice.