Thomas L. Anderson Sr.

Thomas L. Anderson, Sr. was a loving husband, caring father and attentive grandfather. He poured his energy into making life beautiful for them, all the while exercising his many talents in the workplace. He was creative and motivated, fun-loving and diligent. His joy was apparent to all, and his good cheer will continue to be felt by those who had the pleasure of knowing Thomas.

Thomas Leon was born March 27, 1937 in Champaign, Illinois at a time when Americans had struggled to survive the Great Depression. The second of Rev. Albert and Rosie (Nee: Thomas) Anderson’s eighteen children, Thomas knew what it meant to work hard and make sacrifices for family. Besides being an ordained preacher, Thomas’ father was a mechanic, barber and skilled carpenter; and in addition to caring for a large family, his mother worked full time at the University of Illinois. Quite naturally, Thomas grew up with a strong work ethic.

At age 12, Thomas was already tending a vegetable garden and staying busy with numerous projects. He liked to collect junk parts to create and build such items as fences, stilts, wooden skateboards and scooters, to name a few. As a young man, he worked at a lawn mower company, making and repairing lawn mowers. Over the years, he even built and raced cars at the race track in Union Grove. When he was hired by J.I. Case in 1964, it was easy to see why the company sent Thomas to Gateway College to train for CNC programming/operating as a machinist. He was an excellent worker and would serve as a valued Case employee for 28 years.

The move to Racine, Wisconsin became more than a job opportunity for Thomas when he was socializing at the Masonic Hall. It was at a Hall dance one evening that he met the love of his life, Mary Thielen. Their commitment to each other created a lifelong marriage and a loving family of two sons and two daughters—Thomas Jr, Roy, Nicole and Melissa.

Thomas was thrilled to be a parent because he loved all children and had a wealth of knowledge to share as he worked with them or helped with whatever they needed. He liked riding bikes with his kids, vacationing at Indiana Beach, camping and fishing, telling jokes and brightening everyone’s day with his famous quote: “Good morning this morning...it’s a nice morning in the morning like it is this morning...it’s a nice morning in the morning.” No doubt that was the greeting he also used when he conversed on the CB radio, where he was known as “TOPKAT.”

To fulfill a longstanding dream, Thomas attended the U.S. Coast Guard school in Racine to learn about boats and boating safety. It was his way of preparing to own a boat, but it was also a testament to the manner in which Thomas set goals and accomplished them.

Following his retirement J.I. Case Company in 1992, Thomas worked for Lincoln Lutheran Facility for nine years. In addition to being a shining presence at the assisted living facility, he put his skills and personality to work at Glorious Light Church, where he was a member.

Thomas’ diverse responsibilities and interests were a mark of his enjoyment of life. He liked to work and he liked to recreate. He was an outdoorsman who camped, fished and hunted and an “indoorsman” who played bingo and listened to a variety of music from country and gospel to jazz, blues and rock ‘n roll.

Above all, Thomas was focused on his family and eagerly welcomed three grandchildren into his life. He was always there for Caleb, Imani and Noah. They and the entire family will miss his loving presence.

Thomas Leon Anderson, Sr. age 78 of Racine, Wisconsin, passed away at Kenosha Medical Center.

Surviving are his loving wife of 49 years, Mary; 4 children: Thomas L. Anderson Jr. of Racine, Roy S. Anderson of Racine, Nicole (Anthony) Anderson – Leonard of MD, Melissa Anderson – Payton (fiancé Cedric Story) of Racine; 11 grandchildren; 3 great grandchildren; 13 brothers and sisters; other relatives and dear friends. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by 2 brothers, and 2 sisters.

Funeral services will be held Friday, July 17, 2015, 12:00 p.m. at Greater Mount Eagle Baptist Church, 929 State St, Racine, WI 53404, Pastor Bobby J. Vinson Sr. officiating. Relatives and friends may meet with the family on Friday at the church 11:00 a.m. until time of service. Private interment will be held at West Lawn Memorial Park. Memorials to the Alzheimer’s Association and/or the American Heart Association have been suggested.

The family wishes to extend a special thank you to Larry Thielen, Mamie Louis, and Effie Lacey for their tireless help, love, and support these past years.

Maresh-Meredith and Acklam Funeral Home, 803 Main St, RACINE, WI 53403, (262) 634-7888. Please send condolences to www.meredithfuneralhome.com