Thomas (Tom) B. Anderson Jr., 72, beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother, passed away on June 23, 2015, after a short battle with glioblastoma brain cancer.
He was born in MS, to the late Tom and Grace Anderson, and he was raised in Lubbock, TX where he graduated from Monterey High School. He graduated from Davidson College with a history degree then spent 2 years in the Army, one of them in Korea. He attended UNC Law School where he earned a J. D. with honors. He was on the staff of the N. C. Law Review and received the Van Hecke Law Review Award for best student writing.
He was a member of the Order of the Coif. He spent a year as law clerk to the Hon. J. Braxton Craven, Jr., U.S Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. He had a distinguished law career and practiced in Durham, Dallas, TX, and lastly in Raleigh with Womble Carlyle. He was a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy. Tom was a man with a keen, inquisitive mind and pursued many interests throughout his life.
An avid reader, he leaves an extensive collection of books to be treasured by many generations of his family. He loved spending time at the beach and pursued scuba diving as both a sport diver and as a teacher.
He was both a Master’s and recreational swimmer. He was fascinated with flying and became certified to both fly and teach at the single-engine, instrument, multi-engine and commercial levels. He was a cartoonist whose whimsical drawings enlivened many a birthday card. As an adult he began taking violin lessons, a passion which led not only to the joy of playing beautiful music but of meeting wonderful friends in the music community.
He was proud to be a member of the second violin section of the Chapel Hill Philharmonia and was especially pleased when his grandchildren could attend the orchestra’s October Children’s Concert. He was a supporter of the North Carolina Symphony and loved sitting 4 rows from the front to better to observe both the orchestra and violin soloists. He was a member of the Raleigh Chamber Music Guild and served 2 years as its president.
He was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Raleigh and served as the chair of the Columbarium Committee and as president of the Rick Brand Sunday School Class. Tom was a man of uncompromising integrity and understanding, and he was always available to listen. Nothing finer can be said of anyone.
He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Jane Hubbard Anderson, whom he met on the tennis courts at UNC in Chapel Hill. Also surviving are 2 daughters, Catherine Anderson Beard (Charlie) of Seattle, WA, and Mary Perrin Anderson Stark (Scott) of Davidson, NC, and grandchildren Anderson, Adrienne, Mary Catherine, Betsy and Everett. He was tremendously proud of these families. His sister Grace Anderson Nichols (Eric), his brother David Anderson and several nieces and nephews also survive him.
Tom received wonderful care from all those who attended him in his illness, including Rex Neurosurgery and Spine Specialists, the staff of 6 East at Rex Hospital, Rex Rehab Raleigh, The Brain Tumor Center at Duke and Transitions LifeCare.
The family is especially indebted to the staff of Central House Skilled Nursing at Glenaire, where Tom spent the last month of his life. They attended to him and his family’s needs in a most professional, compassionate and comforting way.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Tom’s memory to Community Music School, P.O. Box 2545 Raleigh, NC 27602 or to the First Presbyterian Church of Raleigh Friendship Fund, 112 S. Salisbury St., Raleigh, NC 27601.
The service will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday June 30 at First Presbyterian Church of Raleigh.
Copyright (c) 2015 The News and Observer