William Lee Anderson Jr.

William Lee Anderson Jr., 93, resident of Charlotte, NC, died Saturday, December 10, 2016, at Sharon Towers Presbyterian Home. He was born April 9, 1923, in Raleigh, NC, son of William Lee Anderson and Ruth Tate Anderson. He grew up in Raleigh, Goldsboro, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem, NC. He was an Eagle Boy Scout. In 1941, he graduated from Reynolds High School, Winston-Salem, NC. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC. In 1943, he entered the Army Air Corps and trained as a B17 bombardier and a B29 radar observer. He was commissioned an officer. In 1945, from Tinian Island, he flew on 17 combat missions over Japan and flew over the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay. He married Margaret Louse Plonk on May 14, 1945, at Myers Park Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC. In 1947, he graduated from UNC at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor’s Degree of Zoology. Since 1950, he has lived in Charlotte.

For 37 years, he was a teacher, principal, and administrator in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS). In 1950, he taught physics at Central High School. After one year, he was assistant principal. During 1953–1954, he was assistant principal at Tech High School. Beginning in 1954, he was principal of Hawthorne Junior High School. In 1960, he earned a Master’s Degree of Education from UNC at Chapel Hill. In 1962, he headed CMS In-Service Training. In 1964, he led the CMS Personnel Department. In 1976, he was Independence Area Superintendent. In 1978, he was North-West Area Superintendent. In 1988, he retired after 37 years with CMS, during which he missed only five days of work, all consecutive, due to a back strain. He was a strong supporter of racial integration of CMS, and worked to realize that goal. During 1966–1967, his family hosted foreign-exchange student Kurt Schneider from Switzerland. He was a lifelong Presbyterian. At various times, he was a member of Myers Park, Westminster, Sardis, Good Shepherd, and South Mecklenburg Presbyterian churches. He was an elder. He helped establish the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church where he led Christian education. As a teenager in Raleigh, he was an assistant of noted zoologist C. S. Brimley. That experience made him a keen observer of birds which he could identify by song or behavior. For many years, as an avocation, he banded birds for the Fish and Wildlife Department. He enjoyed traveling and was very devoted to his family, church, and friends. He maintained a lifelong interest in new medical and scientific technologies and had faith that they would be beneficial. He was a calm, kind man who always put the needs of others first, greeted people with a smile, and could engage in conversation on just about any topic.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Margaret Louise Plonk Anderson. He is survived by sons William Lee Anderson III of Charlotte, NC; and John Thomas Anderson and wife Guiomar of Burke, VA; sister Ruth Anderson Ramseur and husband George of Sewanee, TN; grandchildren John Alexander Anderson and wife Reagan of Alexandria, VA; Patrick Lee Anderson and wife Alyson of Arlington, VA; Richard Louis Anderson and wife Courtney of Charlotte, NC; great-grandchildren Casper Michael Anderson, Margaret Ryan Anderson, Maeve McGuire Anderson, Astrid Rafaela Anderson and Witten Lane Anderson; and 15 nephews and nieces. He is survived by sister-in-law Vada Byers Anderson of Winston-Salem, NC; brother-in-law Rev. William McGuire Plonk of Martinsville, VA; and sister-in-law Mitzi Plonk Folk of Charlotte, NC. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Margaret Louise Plonk Anderson, brother Edwin Brooks Anderson, Sr. and great-grandson Gabriel Lee Anderson.

Interment will be 2 p.m. Friday, December 16 in the cemetery at Cross Roads Presbyterian Church, Mebane, NC. A memorial service will be 2 p.m. Saturday, December 17 at South Mecklenburg Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC. The Rev. Dr. Matthew Brown will officiate. After the service, the family will receive friends in the fellowship hall.

In lieu of flowers, please make memorials to South Mecklenburg Presbyterian Church, 8601 Bryant Farms Road, Charlotte, NC 28277, or Cross Roads Presbyterian Church, 3302 North NC 119, Mebane, NC 27302, or a charity of your choice.