David Christian Anderson

Tuesday, June 27, 2017 1:45 pm

David Christian Anderson, 77, of Allamakee County, died May 1, 2017, at Veterans Memorial Hospital- Waukon. A remembrance and potluck is Saturday, July 1, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Phelps Park in Decorah.

Born Oct. 21, 1939, in Duluth, Minn., David grew up on the North Shore of Lake Superior at Flood Bay and in Two Harbors. He attended Two Harbors High School, where he excelled and played piano, accordion, and trombone in marching band. After graduating from high school in 1957, David worked as a crew member on ships on the Great Lakes for a period of time, then went on to college and earned a degree in sociology at Hamline University. After graduating he joined the U.S. Army in 1961, and served honorably as a medic for six years. After serving in the army and living in Germany several years, David returned to the states where he earned his Ph.D. in art history from the University of Minnesota and later taught art history at the University of Minnesota in Mankato. David moved to northeastern Iowa in 1976. Shortly after that, he married Ann C. Edgerton. He worked as a professional architectural historian and preservation consultant and was a published author.

Throughout the years David worked with Minnesota and Iowa Historical Societies. He wrote successful nominations to the National Register of Historical Places. David was often contacted to work on various preservation projects and was featured on the History Channel’s “Save Our History: America’s Most Endangered” series concerning his work to save East Side School in Decorah. He was a true artisan in all that he did, whether it was carpentry or making sauerkraut.
David was a wonderful and insightful man respected by many for his straight-forward honesty and integrity. He enjoyed woodworking, cooking, being with his family, gardening, music, art, reading, birdwatching, observing nature and historical preservation.

He was a truly caring and soulful man that will be deeply missed by family, friends and community.

David is survived by his son, Per E. Anderson (Waukon), step-daughter, Allyssa Edgerton (Escandedo, Calif.), grandson Shiloh S. P. Anderson (Point Reyes, Calif.), sister-in-law, Maria Rattin and brother, Steven Cross (Rovereto, Italy), sisters, Cathryn Sunde and Marylou Anderson (Duluth, Minn.).

David was preceded in death by his father, Walter A. Anderson and mother, Louella E. Hanson; brother-in-law, Willard Sunde; and brother-in-law, Claude Anderson.

Donations can be made to Allamakee County Historical Society in David’s memory.