Arthur R. Anderson, 91, formerly of Oak Park, Ill., passed away
Sept. 17, 2021, at his home in Orland Park, Ill.
Arthur was born on Feb. 14, 1930, in Oak Park, Ill., 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 takeover 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, Ill. He then attended and graduated from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Ill. 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 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, 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, Ill., and in Kingfield, Maine. He was a member
of the United Methodist Church in New Lenox, Ill., 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, Ill. 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
a.m. at the Monmouth Cemetery. Cremation was accorded in Orland Park last September. A memorial fund is being established for Fairview Center
Church of Rural Monmouth, Illinois. To leave a remembrance or for more information please visit www.turnbullfuneralhomes.com.