Robert "Bad Bob" Anderson

Robert William Anderson, affectionately nicknamed "Bad Bob" by his close friend, Nelson Grimes, passed away Monday, January 2, 2017 in the VA Hospital in Martinsburg, WV after a long illness. He was 72.

Bob lived in Myersville, MD with his son, Robert Christian (Chris) Anderson, and family, in the family home Bob built with his second wife, Carmen, in 1991.

Bob was born February 15, 1944 in Tonasket, WA, to Mary Jane and Leroy Holt, both of whom preceded Bob in death. Bob was adopted at an early age by his mother’s second husband, William Anderson. During their marriage, Mary Jane and William Anderson had a son together when Bob was four, Richard Nathan Anderson, who survives Bob. Richard Anderson is married to Margaret Belland of Montgomery County, Maryland. After William Anderson’s death, Bob’s mother moved with her boys to Guam, back to Washington, D.C., and then to Cyprus where she taught school. She subsequently met and married Leroy G. Sommer when Bob was in his teens. Mary Jane and Leroy Sommer had no children from their marriage and preceded Bob in death.

Bob’s brief child-less marriage of one year to Karen Willis of Montgomery County, Maryland, ended in 1971. He was attending Rooky School for the Montgomery County, Maryland, Police Department. After graduating in 1971, Bob served on the Montgomery County Police force as a patrol officer for five years during which time he met and married Carmen Upenieks of Sonthofen, Germany, then living in Montgomery County, Maryland. Bob was a devoted public servant and loved police work. He received a commendation for his service that included a special detail assigned to protect the then-Governor George Wallace after an assassination attempt on Wallace’s life during the 1970s. Bob reluctantly decided to leave the police force for economic reasons and moved with his wife, Carmen, into their first house in Point of Rocks, Maryland, to raise their son, Robert Christian Anderson (Chris) and daughter, Heather Lea Anderson. They lived there for 18 years before moving into the home they built in Myersville, Maryland, where they lived together until 2001 when Bob and Carmen divorced. Bob worked as an Investigator for the State of Maryland Public Defender’s Office from the late 1980’s to the early 2000s when he went to work for Grime’s Truck Center until 2014 when he retired and moved in with his son and family at the onset of a long illness.

Bob’s love of public service began at the age of 18 when he proudly enlisted in the US Navy and worked as a Deck Edge Operator on the aircraft carrier USS Ranger during the Viet Nam War. He was injured twice while working on the catapult during his four years and was honorably discharged after his tour was finished.

As a result of a life-long interest in customizing and drag racing his own cars, Bob also worked as a Service Advisor for a number of automobile dealerships across the United States including in Idaho, California, Washington, DC, and Maryland over the course of his lifetime. As "Bad Bob’s" family and friends know well, his favorite pastime for the past 30 years has been tinkering with his signature Corvette yellow 1923 T-Bucket Hot Rod and spending many happy weekend hours parked on the hill at the Mason-Dixon Drag strip watching the cars compete. Among those who knew Bob well and who the family wishes to especially acknowledge include Nelson Grimes, Jeff Weddle, Sonny and Cotton Rudy, David "Light Bulb" Main, Henry Garland, Drew Smith, and Robin and Jay Miller. There are many more whose names cannot be listed for the sake of space. Although Bob had a rough exterior at times in living up to his "Bad Bob" nickname, he was always there for his friends and would have given anyone who asked the shirt from his back.

Bob was a devoted, loving father and is survived by his son and daughter, Robert Christian (Chris) Anderson of Myersville, MD, and Heather Lea Ten Eyck married to William Ten Eyck of Frederick, MD. He is survived by his grandchildren, Nick Anderson, Lucas Anderson, Will Ten Eyck, Anja Ten Eyck, Emily Ten Eyck, and Lucia Ten Eyck. Bob is survived by his four nephews, Rick, Sean, Cade, and Seth Anderson. He also dearly loved his son’s soulmate, Christina Blackwell, who gave of herself generously in the loving care of Bob during his long illness. Bob loved Christina’s two children, Hannah and Leanna Showe as much as he did his own grandchildren. Bob is also greatly loved and missed by his former wife, Carmen.

A public viewing from 1-2 pm followed by a memorial service at 2 pm and catered reception after the service will be held Saturday, January 7, 2017 at the Bast-Stauffer Funeral Home, P.A., 7606 Old National Pike, Boonsboro, MD 21713-2002 (301-432-8388). Rev. Tim May will officiate. Memorial donations to the Disabled American Veterans (https://www.dav.org/ways-to-give or charity of your choice are requested in lieu of flowers. There will be no interment.