Laird Anderson Jr., a longtime resident of St. Paul, Minnesota, and a current resident of Scottsdale, Arizona, was a kind, gentle, quiet man who adored his wife of 42 years, Kathleen Anderson. Kathy was able to be with Laird when he died on Jan. 3, 2021, of the cruel, merciless, brutal COVID-19 virus. He was 75 years old.
Laird was born Oct. 27, 1945, in St. Paul. He earned degrees in finance and accounting from Macalester College. Laird, a decorated veteran, served as an officer in the U.S. Navy on the destroyer USS Edson during the Vietnam War. He was stationed briefly on the USS Midway as well. He was also in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a captain.
Laird’s passion, however, was community service. He served with the 133rd Airlift Wing of the Minnesota Air National Guard, retiring as a tech sergeant in 2002. From 1980 to 2000, he volunteered as an EMT first responder and Maplewood firefighter, helping save people’s homes and lives in and around the St. Paul suburb.
“His spirit of volunteerism was massive, yet he didn’t talk about it. He was very humble,” Kathy said when speaking about her husband recently.
Laird worked as a banking executive for many years and later went to work with the State of Minnesota Department of Revenue before retiring.
“He was a superb accountant. He had a magical memory and a magical mind,” Kathy said.
Kathy and Laird were married on Oct. 27, 1978, and never looked back. Together, they enjoyed spending time at home, going on road trips, taking long walks, grabbing coffee at Starbucks and dining at their favorite restaurants.
Oct. 27, by the way, is also Laird’s birthday, which was not lost on either of them.
“We were married on his birthday and he always said his birthday became our anniversary. He was famous for saying that,” Kathy said.
Kathy and Laird were inseparable despite being very different types of people. Laird was quiet, shy and humble; Kathy is more gregarious, extroverted and talkative.
“We had a wonderful 42 years. I was his Lucille Ball. He was my leveler. We had a great balance. He was wise and kind. This man will forever be my spirit. He has given his lion heart to me,” Kathy said.
Kathy and Laird lived most of their life together in St. Paul, only moving full time to Scottsdale, Arizona, a few years ago.
“We moved from Minnesota because Laird got tired of shoveling the snow. We came to Arizona so we could enjoy the sunshine and the warmth. The house we lived in together is a house that’s full of much love and so many memories,” Kathy said.
Laird loved learning and was incredibly intelligent. He enjoyed his cactus garden. He always laughed about not being able to kill a cactus. He was an amazing British military historian, though he also enjoyed reading any novel that Kathy “forced on him” that might take his mind off of British military history for a while.
Kathy says Laird also made a “great cup of coffee.”
“About 15 years ago, he decided to bring me breakfast on my birthday and 15 years later, he was still bringing me breakfast in the morning.”
Physically fit throughout his life, Laird ran the Twin Cities Marathon twice and was also a distance biker and walker. He was a healthy eater and enjoyed exercising. This fit and healthy man was feeling great and looking forward to the 2020 holiday season (he loved Christmas!) when, tragically, he was hit out of the blue by the coronavirus.
Laird and Kathy both were so careful, rarely venturing far from their home and, when they did, they wore their masks, washed their hands and maintained social distancing. They followed all of the safety rules.
“He lived a clean, safe, healthy life. He followed the rules. He was protective of the world,” Kathy said.
Despite all of this, Laird got sick in late December with COVID-19 and spent a week in the hospital struggling with this horrendous virus. He fought so hard, rallied a few times, but in the end, tragically, coronavirus won despite his brave fight. Though he was not able to be surrounded by friends and family in his final days because of COVID-19 protocols, Laird received incredible and compassionate care from the medical team at HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center. In particular, Kathy would like to thank his attending physician and all of the nurses in the COVID unit who cared for Laird, fought for Laird, comforted Laird and, in the end, stood by Laird and Kathy as he took his final breaths. These amazing men and women will never be forgotten. Thank you.
Maria Parker, one of Laird’s nurses during his weeklong stay at HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center, shared her thoughts about Laird and his brave fight against COVID-19. She said: “For three days, myself and several other nurses watched as a man went from no oxygen to the highest possible oxygen setting before needing a ventilator. What outsiders might not understand is that during these slow internal changes and rapid external changes, the body is literally fighting a war. During this battle, there are no loud crashes and bangs, no blood and gore; rather, there is beeping. Constant beeping to tell us if the person in the battle is getting up alone, if they are starting to need more oxygen and if they are progressing one way or the opposite direction of our goals. Warriors don’t give in quickly, and their bodies fight harder than anyone else who has succumbed to this virus.
“Laird was by far one of the fiercest fighters I have had the honor of caring for. Imagine getting no sleep, no food and little to no air for days. The fact that he fought so hard for so long is by far the greatest testament to the memory of this man’s strength, character and spirit. Laird was not just a patient, not another statistic, and certainly not a COVID victim to the nurses of 3AB. On this unit, we treat each person like a human being, a friend, husband and family member. Being a part of his life, even if it was a small part in his journey, was an honor and privilege for all of us. We can only be grateful our paths crossed with such an incredible man who fought a good fight and can finally rest peacefully.”
Laird will be terribly missed by his large, extended family. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ruth and Laird Anderson Sr., his father-in-law, Hershel Shelton, and his nephew, Jackson Shelton.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Kathy, who was the love of his life.
He is also survived by sister, Vicky Bathke (John); mother-in-law Judy Shelton; sisters-in-law Heather Shelton (Jose) and Jennifer Shelton (Phil); brother-in-law Joel Shelton (Karen); nephew Quentin Shelton; and nieces Laura Andersen (Brian), Linda Mangen (Dennis), Lisa McCulloch and LuAnn Lloyd, as well as five grand nieces, four grand nephews and 13 great grand nieces and nephews.
Laird, with his winning smile, warm laugh and thoughtful nature, also had many friends, old and new, who share their thoughts about him here:
Shannon Haber -- “I met Laird when I was about 10 years old. He volunteered on the fire department with my parents. Laird was always so kind. I loved the way he said my name. It sounded a little bit Southern and it always came with a big smile. He was such a positive presence in my life as a teenager and young adult. Even though we didn’t see each other as much as I would have liked over the years, I know he was always smiling and cheering me on ... no matter what.”
Bruce Rossini -- “I called Laird by the nickname ‘The Professor,’ because he was so well read related to U.S. military history, political and government history, and especially fire service history. On Air Guard deployments with him, we had great conversations about all the categories above. I mostly listened. In short, The Professor would share all his historical knowledge with me and others in the Air Guard fire department.”
Andy Johnson -- “Laird was so supportive of me when I became the first woman in the (Maplewood) fire department. He was always there. He was just one of the nicest people I have ever met.”
Joseph Waters -- “Laird and I met at firefighter rookie school. He was an amazingly smart man and I always marveled at his career balance and dedication to volunteerism. He told me he’d always wanted to be a firefighter. Laird and his dad would chase fires in the St Paul-Minneapolis area. He always thought his dad was so great, getting up at any time of night to go see a fire with his son. Laird had an extensive military history book collection along with an extensive collection of fire history books. Many of the fire history books are now on loan to the Firefighters Hall and Museum in Minneapolis. If I needed advice on anything, Laird was always there for me. That’s the kind of man he was to everyone. Available.”
John Wallgren -- “We were in the guard together. I was younger than he was. I came into it when I was 23, right out of the Marine Corps. He was 17 years older. For whatever reason, we hit it off and became great friends. He gave his whole with both the fire department and the guard. That’s what he did for people. … I could always turn to him for advice, and he kept me on the straight and narrow, if you will. Laird was such a super guy. He was grateful, he was humble, and I never forgot he was a decorated Vietnam vet. I always held that in high regard. He’s going to be missed by a lot of us. … He was a leader within the ranks, and he gave of himself to his community and his country. He truly did.”
In lieu of flowers, Kathy would like to request donations be made to HonorHealth Foundation – Shea Medical Campus. Please visit give.honorhealth.com, follow the onscreen instructions and in the designation menu, click “other” then write in “COVID nurses at Scottsdale Shea Medical Center.” Then, click on the section that says, “This gift is in honor, memory or support of someone,” and write, “In memory of Laird Anderson Jr.”
You may also send your gift, made out to the HonorHealth Foundation, with “HonorHealth - Shea Medical Campus nurses, in memory of Laird Anderson Jr.,” in the memo line, to 8125 N Hayden Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85258. 100% of all contributions will support patient care.
Private memorial services will be held in California and Minnesota when it is safe to do so. In the meantime, Laird’s family implores everyone to please wear a mask correctly to not only keep yourself safe, but those around you as well.
“Hold your loved ones mightily, wear a mask, wash your hands and social distance,” Kathy said. “Do this for yourself, do it for others, do it in memory of Laird.”
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