Donald Dean Anderson, 81

Donald Dean Anderson was born on March 7, 1944, in Miami, a classic western boom-town in the heart of Arizona's Copper Corridor, to Earnest and Nellie Anderson. The family soon moved to California where Don and his older brothers, Bob and Vernon, grew up in the Central Valley and Sierra Foothills.

After graduating from Morro Bay High School in 1962, Don enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He served in engine room #2, aboard the USS Alamo, LSD 33. He met and fell in love with D. Charlene Bass and they were married on August 7, 1965, in San Luis Obispo, California.

After his discharge in August 1966, Don and Charlene settled in San Jose, California, where their two sons, Christopher and David, were born. Seeking a new challenge, the family moved to Pocatello, Idaho, in the spring of 1977, where Don enjoyed working as the sole machinery mechanic at the Rowland's Dairy processing plant.

Life in Idaho suited Don well. Winter weekends found the family on the ski slopes at Pebble Creek, Targhee, Sun Valley, Jackson Hole or Big Sky. The summers beckoned them to the mountains for camping and fishing. They discovered the thrill of white water rafting and made eight trips on the middle Fork of the Salmon River. In 1994, Don scored a coveted Colorado River permit and, accompanied by friends, he and Charlene embarked on their ultimate river trip and, although Don was pitched out of the boat once, he never flipped the boat.

In 1992, they began making annual fishing trips to Petersburg, Alaska, which led to a job offer in 2001. Always up for an adventure, Don and Charlene sold their house, packed as much as possible in the back of their Dodge truck and headed north for a part-time job managing Petersburg's Scandia House Hotel. It soon became a year-round job that lasted until Don's retirement in 2010 when they bought an off-grid cabin in Keene Channel.

The cabin was weather tight and sound, but unfinished inside. Don's first project was to build 54 stairs up to the cabin before tackling the interior. Once the interior was settled, he enclosed a side porch, built a storage shed at the bottom of the stairs and was always planning further improvements. Don loved sharing the cabin with family and friends, driving the boat and getting everyone's fishing lines rigged up. Many fresh seafood meals were shared at their table.

Each fall Don and Charlene would head south on the ferry for a good visit with family and friends in Pocatello, but as soon as the snow started, they'd load up their camper to head for their favorite spots in California and Arizona where they enjoyed meeting other Snow Birds from around the country.

In 2023, Don's dementia forced the painful decision to leave the off-grid life and say goodbye to their wonderful friends in Petersburg for a much easier lifestyle in Pocatello.

Don passed away on December 1, 2025. He was preceded in death by his son David; parents, Earnest and Nellie; and brothers, Bob and Vernon.

He is survived by his wife, Charlene; son, Chris (Cherro); sister-in-law, Nancy Anderson; nieces, Patti Graff and Wendy Anderson; nephews, Anthony Anderson, Brian Anderson.