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JAMES (JIM) FRANKLIN ANDERSEN
James Andersen obit pic
James (Jim) Franklin Andersen passed away on January 14, 2022 surrounded by his wife and children. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Kathy Andersen; his three children Katie Pond, Ben Andersen and Suzanne Marenco; his grandchildren Jimmy Pond, Bodhi and Finley Andersen, Cheyenne and Titan Marenco. Jim was born in San Francisco living in several states including Washington, Florida and California. He lived in Berkeley for most of his younger years and moved to Merced as a teenager where he was a skilled long distance runner for the Merced High School Cross Country team. After high school, Jim joined the US Navy and fought in Vietnam on a tin can, the USS Taussig, stationed in the Mekong River Delta. He was honorably discharged and shortly after met the love of his life, Kathy.
He was an avid dirt bike racer and lifetime member of American Motorcycle Association and District 36. Aside from his love of motorcycles, he enjoyed sailing, snow skiing, water skiing and tubing, windsurfing, river rafting, dual sport riding, house boating and fishing. He enjoyed family vacations to Wyoming, Grand Canyon and the great Tetons. He loved coaching his children in many sports and passed on the love for dirt bikes to his children as well as grandchildren. He was a big supporter of Oakdale sports and could often be found at the Oakdale High School football games every Friday night during the season.
He retired from PG&E after 30 years as a communications technician. He is loved by many and has lots of friends. He enjoyed a good conversation and laughed at the most ridiculous jokes. His voice, his smile, his laugh and his hugs will be greatly missed. Join us in celebration of Jim’s life at the Oakdale Events Center on Sunday, February 13, 2022 at 12 p.m. Funeral services will be February 14, 2022 starting at 9 a.m. at the Franklin and Downs Funeral Home in Modesto, CA followed by a procession at 11 a.m. to the Merced Cemetery where he will be laid to rest at noon.
The Oakdale (Calif.) Leader
The Riverbank (Calif.) Times
Feb. 2, 2022