Richard B. Anderson

Richard (Dick) (Andy) Benjamin Anderson, 89, of North Palm Beach, Florida, Three Lakes, Wisconsin and formerly of Brookfield, Wisconsin, peacefully took the hand of our Lord and Savior Jesus and went to Heaven on Thursday June 4, 2026, in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

Richard is survived by his wife of 20 years, Adrienne Sheehan of Lybrook, NY, his children Rick (Chris) Anderson of Cedarburg, Sue Anderson of Madison and his step-children Chris (Cathy) Sheehan, Michelle (Chris) Prior, Alicia (Dave) O’Conner, Alex Sheehan. He is further survived by his grandchildren Ricky (Elizabeth) Anderson of Milwaukee, Ryan (Sophie) Anderson of Madison, Sam (Kaisey) Chamberlin of La Crosse, Hattie Chamberlin (Syd Drier) of Madison, eleven step-grandchildren, his great grandchildren John Anderson of Milwaukee, Reid Anderson of Madison and four step-great grandchildren.

Nothing brought greater joy to his life than talking with and spending time with his grandchildren.  He enjoyed holiday gatherings, making homemade ice cream and cheering on the Packers and Brewers with them.  First BB gun purchases and time spent up north were also highlights.  He was very proud of his grandchildren and enjoyed graduations, watching sporting events, playing cribbage and pontoon boat rides.  He was blessed to meet his first great grandson John and his youngest great grandson Reid in the final year of his life.

Richard was proceeded in death in 2004 by his wife of 43 years, Marion Y. Anderson (nee Stoffel), his parents Charles H. Anderson and Alice M. Anderson (nee Cunningham), his brother Charles W. Anderson, sisters Joanie Anderson, Adeline D. Was (nee Anderson) and his brother-in-law Howard E. Was.

Born on December 20, 1936, in Marshfield, Wisconsin, Richard was the third of three children born to Alice and Charles Anderson.  Richard spent many happy days at his childhood home in Phillips where his father was the depot agent for the Soo Line Railroad.  Some of his earliest memories involved the railroad and World War II, as he had just turned 5 years old in December of 1941.  Experiencing these war years at such an early age contributed to his lifelong patriotism and respect for those in our armed forces.  As a child, he adored his dog Queenie, the family cocker spaniel.  Many of his childhood friends from Phillips became lifelong friends.  His teenage years were filled with cars, building a cabin with his father on Wilson Flowage and teenage shenanigans.  He graduated from Phillips High School in 1954.

Upon moving to Milwaukee in 1955, he worked at IGA and Red Owl grocery stores before landing a job with the Allen-Bradley Company in 1955.  Continuing his employment with Allen-Bradley / Rockwell Automation until 1996, he held ever increasing roles and responsibilities and retired as Manager of Corporate Safety and Security.  During his career, Richard was very active with several safety organizations including Operation LifeSaver (rail safety education) and Prevent Blindness Wisconsin and had responsibility for the Allen-Bradley Medical Department.  He built lifelong friendships in this career and one of his strongest traits of an incredible work ethic was clearly modeled.

In March 1959, Richard answered the call to serve his country and committed to a 6-year enlistment in the Army Reserve.  He did his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Kansas.  After Basic Training, he was assigned to the 1^st Battalion 105th Armor Regiment tank unit of the Wisconsin National Guard assigned to the 32^nd Infantry Division (“Red Arrow”).  He was called to Active Duty from May to November 1959 and then again during the Berlin Crisis from November 1961 to August 1962.  During this period, his division was deployed to Fort Lewis, Washington, where they underwent rigorous training to demonstrate American readiness against Soviet aggression.  In August of 1962 he returned to the Army Reserve to complete the remainder of his service commitment.  He was honorably discharged in February of 1965 with a SP4 E4 rating.

In 1957 he met Marion Stoffel through mutual friends.  They married on June 3, 1961. They provided a wonderful childhood for two children (Rick and Sue) in Cudahy and Brookfield, Wisconsin while he continued his career at Allen-Bradley.  Upon retirement, they traveled in the US and abroad.  They remained married until Marion went to Heaven on June 3, 2004.

Following in his father’s footsteps and dedication to self-improvement, moral character and community service, Richard was initiated into the Masonic order on March 9, 1958, and began a lifelong membership in Masonic organizations.  He was raised as a Master Mason on May 4, 1959, at Lodge 225 located in Phillips, Wisconsin.  He joined Nathan Hale Lodge 350 in West Allis on February 21, 1963.  He joined Scottish Rite and became a 32^nd degree Scottish Rite Mason on November 14, 1970.  (His father, Charles H. Anderson, became a 32^nd degree Scottish Rite Mason on May 5, 1938, and his mother, Alice M. Anderson was involved in the Eastern Star organization).  Richard joined Tripoli Shrine in Milwaukee and became a Shriner on June 2, 1970.

In addition to his ever-expanding career, Richard attended Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) and earned an Associate of Industrial Management degree in 1971.  He then began a seventeen-year journey to a Bachelor of Industrial Safety from MSOE.  Because he was a resident expert in the field that he was working on his degree in, many of those years he spent more time teaching industrial safety than completing degree work on it!

While married to Marion, Richard became a snowbird living in Brookfield in the summer and fall and North Palm Beach, Florida, in winter and spring.  He was very involved in the cooperative that they lived in.  He became a board member of Lake Colony One in January 1998 and served as president from January 2005 until the time of his passing.

When Richard married Adrienne in 2006, his snowbird life continued as he and Adrienne split time between Three Lakes, Wisconsin, Wading River, New York, and North Palm Beach, Florida.  They traveled and enjoyed dining out and visiting with their many children, grandchildren and great grandchildren until his passing.

Richard’s visitation, Funeral Service and Reception will all be held on Friday June 12, 2026, at Wisconsin Memorial Park, 13235 West Capitol Drive, Brookfield, Wisconsin  53005.

Visitation:        1:00 pm to 2:00 pm.

Service:              2:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

Burial:                 * Private Burial for immediate family after service

Reception:       3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in Lounge adjacent to chapel

In lieu of flowers, donations in Richard’s memory are appreciated and may be made to Shriners Hospitals for Children.