Roy R Anderson

Funeral Services: Friday, June 23 Visitation 11am at South Roebuck Baptist Church, Service at noon.

Funeral Home: Ridout’s Trussville Chapel 1500 Gadsden Hwy, Birmingham, AL 35235

Roy Anderson, born February 1, 1927, was a native of Dutton, Alabama. He attended Jackson County High School from 1943-1945, where he played basketball and won a state championship in 1944. In 2022, Roy was honored to be inducted into the Jackson County Sports Hall of Fame for basketball.

After graduating from Jackson County High School, Roy immediately enlisted in the U.S. Army and served during the final part of WW2. During his basic training the war ended in Europe, and he went to North Africa, being stationed in Casablanca as an MP.

After the war ended, he enrolled at Jacksonville State University and played basketball for 1 season. Recruited for basketball at Howard College (now Samford University) he attended there for 3 years. To help pay for his housing, Roy lived in and cleaned the gym. Outside of working and studying, Roy was also a dual-sport athlete. He was a 3-year starter on the basketball team and a 2-year starter on the baseball team as a left-handed pitcher. He was awarded the title of “Little All-American Player.” He served as president of the student body and received his degree in Pharmacy.

Roy met his wife, Anne, during his time at the Howard College School of Pharmacy. They were married for 67 years.

After graduating college, Roy managed Fadely’s drug store in Woodlawn for 5 years. Roy was with Wyeth Laboratories (which later became Pfizer) for 35 years until his “semi” retirement. Before retiring he won numerous sales awards, including achieving the National Salesperson of the Year for Wyeth. He kept his pharmacy license active by continuing education after retirement.

Representing Wyeth at the Alabama Academy of Physicians annual convention, he was in charge of the popular horseshoe tournament. At the annual Alabama Pharmacy Convention, he especially enjoyed playing in the tennis tournament. Roy served as President of the Alabama Drug Travelers Association and won the “drug traveler of the year” award. After 1992, Roy worked part-time at Baxter Pharmacy where he taught himself how to use a computer in order to do the job.

In his early 30s, Roy put down his golf clubs and picked up tennis so he could spend more time with his family. Tennis quickly became a big part of his enjoyment, playing doubles with his daughter April until she went to college. Being very competitive, Roy continued to play singles and doubles bi-weekly until he was sidelined by an injury at the age of 88. Outside of tennis, Roy was an expert horseshoe player.

Roy was a long-time, active charter member of South Roebuck Baptist Church. Among many roles at the church he was a lifetime deacon, Sunday School teacher (youth, men, and couples), and Trustee. He was honored by Samford University for Lifetime Achievement and also awarded Layperson of the Year. For numerous years he coached the boys’ church league basketball team. Roy participated in committee roles in Billy Graham Crusades in Birmingham and Tallahassee, Florida. He and Anne were church organizers of the “Here’s Life” evangelistic outreach. Their Christian testimony was printed in the Birmingham news. He hosted weekly youth Bible studies in his home during the turbulent years of 1975-1978 that were open to ALL students, taught by Bobby Gardner of Wells Global Ministries. Roy taught Sunday School until his mid-90s. He attended Sunday School and church on the day he passed away.

Samford University was important to Roy and Anne. Roy wanted to “give back” to the college of Pharmacy and so established the Roy and Anne Fadely Anderson Endowed Scholarship. He was an ardent supporter of the basketball program as a member of the “Bulldog Club,” loving to go to all the home games and lunches.

Roy is preceded in death by his wife, Anne Fadely Anderson, and their daughter, Roxanne Anderson Venable. He was the last living sibling of 6 children of Roy & Floy Gant Anderson (Ernest, Berta, Pauline, Wilma, and Imogene). All his siblings lived to be over 90 years old, with his sister, Berta, living to be 103.

Roy is survived by his daughters: Rachel Harden and April Craig (Johnny Blue Craig), his son-in-law, Bob Venable, seven grandchildren: Sam Harden (Kristin), Laura Ruth Venable, Joseph Venable (Susanna), Marianne Venable Dillon (James), Johnny Blue Craig, Jr. (Sarah), Carly Anne Craig, and Cassidy Faith Craig, and four great-grandchildren: Robert Harden, Gregory Harden, Davey Jean Venable, and George Roscoe Venable.

Expressions of sympathy may be shared with the "Roy R Anderson Endowed Athletic Scholarship Fund"

Or "Bulldog Club Excellence Fund"

Samford University Advancement

Attn: Victoria Allen

800 Lakeshore Dr

Birmingham Al 35229

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ridoutstrussvillechapel.com for the Anderson family.