Darryl Lloyd Anderson, age 73, of Walker, Minnesota, passed away at St. Joseph’s Medical Center, Brainerd, on April 27, 2019. Darryl was born in Omaha, Nebraska on July 9, 1945, the eldest child of Lloyd and Dolores (Prescher) Anderson. As a military family, they moved a lot resulting in Darryl graduating from Richfield High School in Minnesota.
Darryl continued his education at the University of Minnesota and married Joanne Sortino, his wife of 51 years, on April 19, 1968. A few days shy of their first anniversary and just short of earning his PhD in Plant Pathology, Darryl was drafted into the Army. After completing Basic Training, he was stationed in Colorado to conduct research on the effect of high altitudes on monkeys.
Darryl completed his service in Colorado and was released from the military in 1970, with exemplary letters of recommendation from his superiors. Back in St. Paul, their family grew with the birth of daughter Kristine in 1973 and son Kurt in 1977. Darryl went to work for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture as a plant pathologist and began serving as the Assistant Commissioner of the Department in 1976.
In 1977, Governor Rudy Perpich temporarily appointed him as the Acting Commissioner, after which he returned to his regular position until 1985. Darryl continued to work for the Department of Agriculture in various roles until his retirement in 2008. He was most proud of his work as the Minnesota State Bicycle Commissioner.
In the words of his family, Darryl was a walking encyclopedia of information especially in history and plants, and he loved sharing his knowledge with his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed running, biking, fishing, hunting, camping, backpacking in the Boundary Waters and loved the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming. He also loved to cook, especially a good steak on the grill.
Darryl’s dry sense of humor and stoic demeanor was enhanced by his gentle and loving ways with his family and especially his 5 grandchildren, ages 15 to 7 months. It was a common occurrence to see him pushing the double stroller with his twin grandsons to the bank for cookies and then to Reed’s to look at things. He was “prouder than punch” of his family.
Darryl will be forever missed by his wife Joanne, daughter Kristine (Gerkin) Landreville, son Kurt Campbell-Anderson, his five grandchildren Zachary, Nicole, Trystan, Andrew and Charli Lucia, his brothers and sisters Deena, Larry, Becky, Wayne and Cory, loving extended family and friends. Darryl was preceded in death by his parents Lloyd and Dolores. In place of flowers please send donations to St. Joseph’s Hospital Cancer Center in Brainerd, MN.
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