05/11/2026
Dwight Carl Anderson
Dwight Carl Anderson was born on April 27, 1946, in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, the youngest of Roy and Shirley Anderson’s five children. An oatmeal cookie would never be safe again! Fun-loving and charming, he attended the one-room North Fork school for his early years and eventually graduated from Grantsburg High School. He then joined the Navy, where he served for four years as a communications specialist before returning home.
One evening, he went roller-skating, and his life changed forever when he met Ruth Lilienthal. After finding she met all his specific requirements, he was convinced he had just met his wife. Ruth eventually agreed, and they were married less than a year later on July 3, 1970. They had three sons: Matthew, Todd, and Kyle. Dwight and Ruth navigated the joys, frustrations, and small catastrophes of raising three boys with love, a firm hand, and no small amount of prayer. Dwight lived as a godly example to his sons and 12 grandchildren, displaying kindness, faithfulness, and hard work in his day-to-day life.
Over the years, he was employed at a number of places where he especially enjoyed leadership positions, such as being a manager, a foreman, and a landlord. He also became a school bus contractor for 36 years, but he certainly kept busy on the Anderson family farm as a carpenter, mechanic, plumber, electrician, and craftsman. Sometimes, as he sized up one of Ruth’s visionary ideas, he would scratch his head, look at her over his glasses with eyebrows raised, and say, “If it’s impossible, it’ll just take a little longer.”
He loved to make people laugh, and with his infectious grin and wealth of stories (seasoned with the occasional Ole and Lena joke), he often accomplished that goal. Even toward the end of his life, as Parkinson’s disease made things slow and difficult for him, if he noticed that we were all watching him, he’d seize the opportunity to do something funny.
Dwight memorized Scripture extensively. A favorite verse was Ephesians 2:8. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Philippians 4:4-7 was another favorite. “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men; the Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Dwight passed from this life into the presence of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on May 2, 2026, at the age of 80. A celebration of Dwight’s life will be held on Friday, May 15, at 11:00 am at Grace Church in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, with a visitation prior to the service at 10:00 am.
Dwight is preceded in death by his parents, Roy and Shirley Anderson, and his brothers, Eldo, Ardell, and Paul. He will be deeply missed by Ruth, his beloved wife of 55 years, and his sons Matthew (Janel), Todd, and Kyle (Melissa). Twelve grandchildren are happy to have been the chosen few to call him “Papa D.” He will also be missed by his sister Peggy (Roger) Johnson and sisters-in-law Beverly, Lois, and Lillian, along with many relatives and friends.
Arrangements were entrusted to Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home. Condolences may be expressed online at swedberg-taylor.com.
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