Philip Gene Anderson

Philip Gene Anderson was born June 13, 1938. He was born the youngest child in a large family which was not an easy way to start life. He was three years old when the family home burned down in the middle of the night. At this young age it was decided that he should be taken back to South Dakota to live with relatives, separated from his parents and family for eight months. When he returned home, it was a difficult adjustment for him with his four older sisters. Rejoining the family as the youngest of nine siblings brought on some growing pains after being the "only" child while staying in South Dakota.

Phil as the family called him, grew up to be an energetic, resourceful person becoming successful at whatever he decided to do. While he was in high school he played football, developed a sound system for the new church being built, and taught himself to be an auto mechanic as he owned a car at a young age. He became an excellent carpenter like his older brothers who all learned these skills from their father.

Phil's advice to his son Bruce was "you need the right tools for the job" and "everything you do can be a building block for what you do next." After graduating from Bothell High School he attended Seattle Pacific College where he met Rose Traina and they were married in 1959. Over the next years he finished college, pastored several churches and graduated from seminary in Kentucky. They had three children: Jan, Bruce, and Dale.

Developing the desire to do counseling he moved his family to Colorado where he earned his doctorate in family counseling. After a time he moved his family back to the Seattle area and set up a counseling practice in Renton. He continued his practice for the next 36 years. In 1978 he divorced Rose.

In 1991 he married Alice Sears. They lived in the Oklahoma and Missouri area for twelve years. Eventually they moved back to the Seattle area, settling in Lynnwood. In 2016, he retired from his practice. After many years living with Alzheimer's, Philip Gene passed away on October 13, 2023 at the age of 85.

Phil is survived by his wife Alice, daughter Janette Carter (David), sons Bruce (Kristen) and Dale (Melissa) and five grandchildren; Valerie Carter Tuthill, Paul Carter, Lukas, Arwen, and Cole Anderson. Gene has three sisters living in the Seattle area: Miriam Herzog, Joan Merrill, and Connie Nelson.

A funeral service for Gene will be held Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 11:00 AM at Purdy & Walters at Floral Hills, 409 Filbert Road, Lynnwood, WA 98036. A reception will follow at 12:00 PM with a graveside at 1:00 PM.

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