Obituary of Kenneth Richard Anderson

Kenny Anderson, age 46, passed away surrounded by his loved ones on June 2, 2023, from a short battle with lung cancer.  Kenneth Richard Anderson was born November 14, 1976, in Havre de Grace, Maryland, to Jacqueline and Paul Anderson. He lived in Maryland for a short time and was later joined by his younger sister, Kimberly, when his family lived in Alaska. His family moved around a few times since his dad was in the military. They came to Washington in 1988, where Kenny received treatment for his first two childhood battles with cancer. His dad was stationed at Fort Lewis Army Base and, ultimately, they planted roots in Olympia, where Kenny graduated from River Ridge High School in 1995. 

 

In 1998, Kenny met Janaa Anderson. They quickly fell in love and were engaged only nine short months later. They married in June of 2001 and purchased their first home together a year later. In 2007, their only child, Logan, joined their family. 

 

In February 2001, Kenny joined his father in working at the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. He was the youngest Corrections Deputy on staff at the time. In following in his now-retired father’s footsteps and his young age, he quickly earned the nick name “Baby Anderson.” He was a well-respected and highly regarded member of TCSO and always strived to make the workplace better. He was an exemplary employee and received the “employee of the month” award in 2008. He was selected for a Medical Liaison Special Duty position in 2022, in which he remained until his untimely death. 

 

Kenny was pretty much known as “Mr. Fix It,” both at home and at work. He loved working with computers and, while he never held a degree in IT, he was definitely “the computer guy.” His skills didn’t end there though; he loved tinkering and the vast majority of the time he could fix whatever he set out to. His son would break things and always say, “Don’t worry. Daddy can fix it.” When he wasn’t at work or fixing things, Kenny was enjoying life with his family and supporting his son in whatever venture he found most interesting at the time. 

 

Kenny will be remembered for his unconditional love for his family and friends, his dedication to his work and willingness to help others, his never-ending sense of humor, and of course for his love of all things Christmas. 

 

He is survived by his wife, Janaa; their son, Logan; his parents, Paul and Jackie Anderson; his younger sister, Kim; his grandmother, Veda; his father-in-law, Lonnie; his brother-in-law, Trever; and many nephews, nieces, cousins, aunts, uncles and friends. 

 

All co-workers, family, and friends of the family are invited to attend a Celebration of Life service to honor him on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, 1:15 p.m. at the Lacey Community Center

(Woodland Creek Community Park ) located at 6729 Pacific Ave. SE, Olympia, WA 98503.

 

In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been set-up for his son’s education. To contribute, please click HERE.

 

Please leave condolences or share memories and photos on the Tribute Wall to the left.

 

 

 

 

 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Kenneth Anderson, please visit Tribute Store