Robert Anderson

Robert Gustav Anderson

Robert (Bob) was born April 4, 1915 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and passed away peacefully, at Good Samaritan in Pine River, Minnesota, on June 23, 2016, at the age of 101. His interests included fishing, golfing, ceramics, stained glass windows, gardening and taxidermy.
He graduated from Roosevelt H.S. in 1933. He began his career working for Bachman's from 1933 to 1942, where he was in charge of a greenhouse full of carnations, and other jobs. He operated the boiler heating system and became a certified engineer.

On June 1, 1937 he married Florence Seaman. They shared 52 years of marriage. He served in the United States Army from April 1945 to May 1946.

Bob founded Tonkadale Greenhouses in Minnetonka, Minn. in 1947, where he specialized in African Violets. Considered a pioneer, he developed over 200 new cultivars. During his career he grew to include spring bedding plants and Christmas poinsettia plants. He sold Tonkadale to Bill Maruska in 1978 who expanded products and services for today's clientele.

Upon retirement Bob and Florence moved to Crosslake where Bob donated his time, talent and energy. Bob worked with the DNR and was Co-chairman of the Natural Resources Committee to build the fish population for the Whitefish chain of lakes. He helped design and build the Crosslake baseball field to allow for positive drainage and provided landscape plantings for the Immaculate Heart parish. As a member of the Whitefish Golf Course he volunteered an enormous amount of time and energy to design, build and expand the Whitefish Golf Course from nine holes to eighteen.

As an expert gardener he provided scenic beauty around his cabin and to all the boats passing through the Rush Lake channel. Along the length of his shoreline he had massive flowers blooming and turned the 4th of July into Christmas by stringing lights by the lake. Other residents joined in by adding more Christmas lights along the channel.

Bob was preceded in death by his wife Florence, his brothers Norman and Earl, and his sisters Ruth and Lillian.

Survived by his two children Karen Nagengast and Gerald Anderson, his eight grandchildren: Todd, Troy, Tate, Tammy, Travis, Denee, Amanda and Elizabeth; and seventeen great grandchildren: Kelsey, Tara, Amber, Alexander, Nicholas, Heather, Amanda, Valerie, Ryan, Danielle, Tyler, Addison, Allison, Emma, Dylan, Liam, and Lily.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 AM on Thursday, June 30, at Washburn-McReavy, Crystal Lake Chapel, 3816 Penn Ave. N., Minneapolis. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in Crystal Lake Cemetery, Minneapolis. Arrangements are with Kline Funeral Home, Pine River.