Obituary of Duane Anderson

Duane “Red” Anderson, age 93, of Iowa City, passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 16, 2021 at his home surrounded by the love of his family and friends. A private family service will be held to honor Duane. A public visitation will be at Gay & Ciha on Thursday, October 21, 2021 from 5 – 7 pm. In lieu of flowers a memorial fund has been established to support causes important to Duane. Duane was born to George & Annie (Riley) Anderson in Fort Dodge, Iowa on May 26, 1928. He was united in marriage to Catherine Beasley on May 22, 1953. They had 68 years of marriage together. Duane was a successful entrepreneur, a residential & commercial real estate investor, a builder, and a developer. He also owned several farms and local businesses, including an antique store on Capitol Street, Chuck’s Auto, and the Star Dust. In his early years, Duane worked with Max Yocum, trimming trees and moving houses. After that, he and Olin Lloyd went into business together as Anderson & Lloyd Builders, building a QuikTrip and many other commercial buildings around the area. In 1974, Duane helped open Cedar Rapids Transmission and he was involved in the business for 47 years. Over the past 30 years, Duane & Cathy enjoyed wintering in Las Vegas, Nevada. Duane was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Family was important to him. Duane was always interested in what his kids and grandkids were doing and he wanted happiness and success for all of them. He liked to share his experience and lend a hand on a project. He will be greatly missed by many. Duane is survived by his wife, Catherine, of 68 years; two brothers, Robert (Pam) Anderson and George (Leanne) Anderson; two sons, Jack (Kim Schlabach) Anderson, Scott (Tammi) Anderson; two daughters, Debra Plath, Jill (Steve) Skay; daughter-in-law, Diane (Bob) Meyer; nine grandchildren, Nicholas (Melissa) Anderson, Angela Poggenpohl, Mallory (Trevor) Zielinski, Jessica (Scott) Hubbard, Michael (Jordan) Plath, McKenzie Anderson, Amanda (Marcus) Lankford, Mark (Haley) Plath, Shana (Vinny Picardi) Skay; and 12 Great-grandchildren. Duane was preceded in death by his parents, one son, James Leo Anderson; a son-in-law, Todd M. Plath; two sisters, Helen Wessels and Shirley Waters; and two brothers, James Anderson and Eugene Anderson.