William L Anderson

William ‘Bill’ Anderson passed away peacefully at his home with family by his side. Bill is survived by his teenage sweetheart and wife of 68 years, Lillian Irene Anderson, son Michael Anderson, daughters Linda Country (Brent) and Sharon Barnett (Darwin); grandchildren: Brian, Todd, Clinton, Travis, Ryan, Gayle, Ashley, Michelle and Rachel; great grandchildren: Sydney, Ben, Brennen, Curtis, Chelsea, Bryce, Abram, and Connor. Bill was predeceased by his son Robert Wayne Anderson.

Bill was born in San Diego County on January 17, 1927. At the age of 2, he was adopted by his parents August and Ethel Anderson. He would often state how very fortunate and appreciative he was to have been adopted by such fine and wonderful people that loved him and took such good care of him.

He grew up in Encinitas and was a lifelong resident of San Diego County. He graduated from San Dieguito High School and enlisted in the Navy to serve in WWII. It was with regret that he was released from military service 30 days later due to a medical condition that prevented him from serving.

Bill’s father was a successful building contractor and house mover. Bill worked with his father and learned the business from him. He later took over the house moving and wrecking division as his own and started ‘Bill Anderson House Movers’. Bill spent his days working hard to provide for his family. He loved owning his own business and was proud of his many accomplishments. He was the predominant house mover in North San Diego County for many decades. He was proud of the many historical buildings that he relocated for their preservation. During the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s his services were in demand due to new freeways being built in the southland. Freeways I-5, I-15, I-8 and Highway 78 could not have been completed without the relocation of many residences that stood in their intended path.

Bill married Lillian on May 7, 1948 in a minister’s home in La Jolla. Their first home was in Leucadia, California. In 1961, with four children by now, they built their current home in what was then the small and country town of Vista.

Bill loved car racing and raced his own jaloppy in the desert, at the Bean Bowl in San Luis Rey, and at many other San Diego County locations. He took his sons Mike and Bob to many races at Balboa Stadium, El Cajon Speedway, Ontario and Riverside and instilled a love of racing in them as well. He also attended several NASCAR races with his son Mike. He was an armchair NASCAR enthusiast until the end.

Despite some physical disabilities that challenged him, he was able to build and run a successful business until his retirement. But truly there was no retirement for Bill as he was not able to stay happy unless he was busy.

So upon ‘retiring’ the business of house moving at age 65, he found a new sideline business delivering auto parts to automotive shops throughout Southern California. It was not unusual for him to drive auto parts to Stockton (500 miles away) and back home in one day. He never tired of being on the road. He loved being behind the wheel. This kept him happy and busy until age 84 when he was forced to stop due to health reasons.

In his ‘retirement’, Bill and Lillian took many wonderful road trips to the Pacific Northwest and Western states. They would spend weeks on the road exploring with no set schedule or destination in mind. These vacations were very enjoyable and provided many wonderful memories.

Bill was a loving husband, wonderful father and grandfather. He had a grateful heart and was always appreciative for what he had. He was raised in the Christian faith and felt he had been very blessed in life. He was generous and kind. He will be greatly missed.

A celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, October 8, 2016 - 1:00pm at Eternal Hills Mortuary Chapel in Oceanside, California.

Mr. Anderson's final resting place will be Eternal Hills Memorial Park in Oceanside, California.