Wayne Francis Anderson

Wayne F Anderson
August 7, 1946 – February 4, 2021
Wayne Francis Anderson, 74, of Chehalis, Wash., passed away peacefully in his sleep, February 4, 2021, after a short battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his wife Diana, and good friends Lonnie and Jeannie Howard. Wayne was born in Chehalis August 7, 1946, to Francis Wert ‘Andy’ and Ella Beatrice ‘Bea’ Anderson.
Wayne graduated from WF West High School in 1965. He was a star football player (he wore jersey number 46,) and was enrolled in the ROTC Navy program. When Vietnam started, he went to his commander and asked to become a Ranger, like his father. They told him they were going to do one better and made him a Marine. He proudly served his time in the following locations: Camp Pendleton, Okinawa, Da Nang, Dong Ha, Camp Carrol, Gio Linh, Con Tien, Khe Sanh, An Hoa & Hill 881. He was immensely proud of his service and stayed proud to his last day on earth. His favorite saying regarding this time in his life and to his death was “When I die, I will go to heaven, for I’ve already served my time in Hell!”
Upon his return, he joined the carpenter’s union and went to work with his father building many structures, before starting WF Anderson Construction in 1975. He taught his brothers, Duke and Dale, the trade as well, and set them up with the tools of the trade. That company grew to multiple other companies, which were incorporated in 1977. Wayne started out building custom homes, then decided that he liked playing in the dirt more. In 1980, he added heavy equipment construction, which led to him expanding his horizons with Weyerhaeuser working road construction, dredging, and building highways and bridges.
Wayne had a beautiful farm and raised Donaldson Trout. He developed the ‘Ye Old Fishing Hole,’ which was located where the Hamilton sign stands today. When the sign needed to be moved to its present location, he worked with others to make that happen. He retired in the late 1990’s, but soon went back to work for some of his previous competitors, enjoying his time with Stellar J, Quigg Brothers, and finally, Sterling Breen Crushing. He really loved playing in the dirt!
After 2 marriages, Wayne finally found his life partner, Diana. Both survived tragic losses in their lives and became a couple. They’d already been friends for 10 years, and 5 years after they’d begun dating, were married August 27, 2005. They spent the last 20 years traveling to Alaska, Mexico, Maui, Florida and the Panama Canal, fishing and enjoying life. They worked together to start ‘North Fork Custom Rods’ in 2009, specializing in quality custom fishing rods and custom laser engraving. They started North Fork Custom Rod Fish Camp many years ago, hosting a large event each August at their property in Long Beach. Many friends, family, pro-guides, clients, and suppliers were always invited. Diana will continue to honor his legacy through the business.
He was a member of the Chehalis Eagles, VFW, and Moose.
He will be greatly missed by his wife Diana; daughter Jennifer (Bill) Tietzel; son Scott Anderson; grandson Blake Tietzel; granddaughter Briana (Jay) Yue; stepdaughters Amber (Rick) Bevacqua and Rebecca (Noel) Ramirez; step-grandchildren Evan, Aspen, and Dyson; great-grandchild Sawyer; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister Sandra M Kehoe; and several Aunts and Uncles.
A Celebration of Wayne’s Life will be held at ____ May 1, at the Old Mill Farm, 318 Kruger Rd, Onalaska, WA. Private inurnment will take place at Claquato Cemetery in Chehalis at a later date.