Colleen Anderson | Obit

Colleen Anderson Robert Orville Anderson

6/4/1929 – 6/17/2026 7/16/1929 – 2/5/2021

Colleen Anderson joined her husband on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 97 years old. Robert (Andy) Anderson passed away on February 5th, 2021, at 91 years old.

Colleen and Andy were born in 1929: Colleen on June 4th in Spokane, Washington, and Andy on July 16th in LaCrosse, Washington. It was a joke between them that he had married an “older woman”.

In 1945, Colleen and Andy met as sophomores at North Central High School in Spokane and graduated in 1947. After graduation Colleen attended Washington State University in Pullman for two years. Andy took a year away from formal education for full-time employment. In 1948 he began his BA program at Washington State University.

On September 3, 1949 Colleen and Andy were married at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Spokane. Andy went on to finish his BA degree while working part-time and earning extra money playing tenor sax in a dance band. Colleen left college for full-time work as a city clerk for the city of Pullman. During the next 12 years Colleen and Andy were blessed with three children: Miya (May 1, 1954), Kristie (August 3, 1955), and Casey (November 21, 1961). Colleen and Andy were married for 71 years.

After college, Andy started a career in the WA State Prison system as a parole officer. He went on to a successful career at the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He enjoyed working with young offenders as he believed they were most likely to turn their lives around.

In the federal prison system, promotion meant a move to a new town and a new institution. The family lived in Fircrest WA, Lompoc CA, Tucson AZ, El Reno OK, Washington DC, Ashland KY, San Pedro CA, and Montgomery PA. Colleen saw each move and new location as an opportunity for the family to see the country and understand its history and culture. In each new community, the Anderson family often knew more about the history and local attractions than people who had lived there all of their lives.

While Andy was progressing in his career, Colleen, in addition to being a mother, was serially involved in new activities and creative endeavors. She sewed, quilted, embroidered, crocheted, painted ceramics, refinished and upholstered antique furniture, practiced photography, crafted in stained glass, created 3D paintings on glass, tole painted, painted with oils on canvas, sculpted driftwood, researched the family’s genealogy, led a Campfire group, directed tours at Underground Seattle, delivered for Meals on Wheels, and actively volunteering at the Unitarian Church.

Upon Andy’s retirement, they returned to Washington, purchased a home in West Seattle, then a condominium in Redmond, before going to live in Covenant Shores on Mercer Island. They lived happily at Covenant Shores for 17 years. Andy was always available to help and share a story or a joke. Colleen found community in volunteer activities in the Covenant Shores community as well as in Building 4.

Colleen and Andy are survived by their three children, Miya and her husband David, Kristie, and Casey; four grandchildren, Darcy, Megan, Genevive, and Juliette; and two great-grandchildren, Stella and Serenity. Their passing has left a hole in the lives of many and they are sorely missed.