Thomas Anderson, Sr.

Thomas William Anderson, Sr. passed away from natural causes on March 9, 2018 at age 77. Born in South Philadelphia, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, and retired from United Parcel Service, Tom’s last name came from his grandfather, a Swedish-born ironworker, John Anderson. He was named Thomas in honor of his maternal grandfather, Thomas O’Keefe, the son of an Irish immigrant who, as a young boy, travelled to the United States to escape the Famine in Ireland. With such vocations as longshoreman, ironworker, locomotive fireman, laborer, and numerous other professions requiring great strength and endurance prevalent in his family history, it is no surprise Tom has been described by family, friends and medical professionals alike as one of the toughest men they had ever met. But what made him special to those who knew him was that a man of such grit could at the same time be so compassionate for others, genuinely kind, and truly only ever wanted to help his family and friends.    Tom was married to Leila “Betty” Anderson for 53 years at the time of his passing, and is survived by their three children, Tom (Kim), Jeff (Amy), and Jennifer (Drew). Tom is also survived by his pride and joy, his grandchildren, including Dillon, Heather, Patrick, Brendan, Connor, Thomas, and Logan. There is nothing he would not have done for his grandkids. Tom is also survived by nephews, John, Michael, Brian, Johnny, Ronnie, Joey, Tom and nieces, Colleen and Trish. Tom was preceded in death by his first grandchild, and “little buddy,” Thomas “Colton” Anderson. He was also preceded in death by his parents, Josephine and Clarence, as well as siblings Joe, Vivian, Catherine, Ron, and Lillian, as well as his nephew, Eric. Tom was survived by his sister, Dot, who passed nine days later on March 18th, thereby winning the bet the two had to see who would be the last Anderson sibling standing.   A celebration of life memorial service will be held at Lord of Life Lutheran Church at 1 Winchester Court in Tabernacle, NJ on April 21, 2018. Visitation will begin at 10am, which will be followed by a service. Tom was a casual man who lived life for those around him. It is not necessary to wear a suit or tie. He would much rather you be comfortable during the service and share with his family some of the fun times you had together. Although Tom will be missed by many, this is a time to celebrate the time we all had with him. He lived to see the Flyers win two Stanley Cups, the Phillies win two World Series Championships, and the Eagles win a Super Bowl. Between family, friends, and these great moments in Philadelphia sports, he could not have left this world a happier man.   -- Rest Easy Rock   In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ronald McDonald house or Autism Speaks.   Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House, Inc. 3925 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 http://support.rmhc.org/site/PageNavigator/pw/Donation_Landing.html Autism Speaks Inc. 1060 State Road Princeton, NJ 08540 https://act.autismspeaks.org/site/Donation2?df_id=1500&mfc_pref=T&1500.donation=form1&s_src=AutismSpeaks.org&s_subsrc=DonateRedirect