James Ralph Andersen, 83, of Grinnell, Iowa passed away on September 27, 2022 at Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. He had several health concerns that contributed to his passing.

A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 AM Saturday, October 1, 2022 at the Grinnell Christian Church. A luncheon will immediately follow the service at Grinnell Christian Church.

Family will greet friends starting at 10:00 AM, one hour prior to the start of the service.

A private family burial will be held at Ewart Cemetery.

Those who wish to remember Jim in a special way may direct a gift in his memory to the Andersen Family and mail in care of the Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, IA 50112.

Jim was born at home in Kellogg, Iowa on October 15, 1938 to Ralph Eli and Sarah Esther (Murdock) Andersen. Jim began attending school at the Kellogg School in town and then attended country schools in rural Jasper County through eighth grade. He attended Newburg High School and graduated in 1957. After high school, he joined the Army Reserves serving as Motor Pool Sergeant, at Fort Des Moines, where they maintained the troop's jeeps, trucks and tanks. Their summer trainings and drills took place at Camp McCoy in Wisconsin and Fort Knox in Kentucky. During this time, he also began working at Maytag.

He met his wife, Joann Watson, in Grinnell. They married on June 18, 1960 at the Grinnell Christian Church. They had two children; Cynthia and Daniel. Throughout their married life, they lived in rural homes around the Grinnell area, finally settling down on an acreage south of town on Ewart Road. He took an active role for most of his life at GCC, from being a deacon and greeter, to attending the U & I Sunday school class parties and church picnics with their friends. He loved playing on the church softball team!

Jim held many jobs over the course of his life. He owned several of his own business as well as working for others. From farming, to trucking, to his conservation contracting business, he enjoyed working outside with his hands. He drove semi-trucks cross country for Robin-tech and Jeldwin, ending his trucking career with Monsanto in Iowa. His travels took him to at least 45 of the 48 contiguous states. Two of his favorites were Wyoming and Colorado because you "could see so far across the land." His most recent and loved endeavor was running his Andersen's Used Furniture shop in Grinnell.

The things Jim loved to do included fishing (especially in Canada), playing pinball, traveling with his wife, attending the Iowa State fair, watching Professional Bull Riding and westerns (particularly John Wayne movies), and attending/helping with auctions. He enjoyed helping his friend Jim McIllrath at his actions so much that he went to school to receive his own auctioneering certificate. You could often find Jim at the A & M Cafe having a cup of coffee and talking with all the people he knew from town and around Grinnell. He loved spending time with his grandchildren and having his family visit over the 4th of July to watch the fireworks over the pond on his acreage. The louder and bigger the better.

Jim was preceded in death by his wife, Joann (Watson) Andersen, his parents, Ralph and Esther Andersen, his sister, Jeane Andersen and his brother Raymond Andersen. He is survived by his daughter Cynthia (Tom) Wagner and his son Daniel (Kristin) Andersen, as well as his grandsons; Alex, Ryan, and Brenden Wagner and granddaughters; Reaghan and Rhiley Andersen. He is also survived by his nephew Scott (Joanne) Andersen and his niece Susan (Dennis) Burke as well as other loved cousins and friends.