Demus Eldridge Anderson

Demus Eldridge Anderson, long-time citizen of Ozark, Arkansas, passed away on Friday, December 14, 2012. Demus had recently celebrated his 99th birthday with a party in his honor, at which Franklin County Judge Joe Powell presented him with a proclamation declaring “Demus Anderson Day” for his many years of service to the area. Demus was born on November 23, 1913 on the family farm in the White Oak community north of Ozark. The farm had been homesteaded by Demus’s grandfather around 1876. Demus kept the farm property in the family until the mid-1990s, raising cattle and hosting annual family reunions there. Demus attended the old White Oak school through the 8th grade, and then traveled into town at Ozark High School to finish his education. He graduated as senior class president and salutatorian in 1933. At his passing, he was believed to be the oldest living person whose names are engraved on the Ozark High School memorial stones outside the gymnasium. Demus worked as a clerk for a few years before joining the Navy in 1942. He served most of his Navy career at Pearl Harbor as an electrician’s mate. During the war Demus became engaged to Glae Dickerson and married her on November 1, 1944 while home on leave. Demus and Glae were married for sixty-seven years. After the war, Demus tried several ventures before settling on a career as an accountant. He worked at the Ozark Creamery until 1960 when the plant closed down, then worked as the bookkeeper for the Anderson-Whitson Ford dealership until his retirement in 1975. Demus is acknowledged by many as one of the best baseball players to come out of Franklin County. In the war he played shortstop on the Navy’s team at Treasure Island, sometimes competing against major and minor league players. An article in the Navy’s magazine in 1942 noted that Demus was the the best player on the team. His semipro team won the state championship in 1939. Demus also played basketball at Ozark High School on a team that went that went to the state tournament (in uniforms borrowed from Clarksville) before losing to Hot Springs. He learned golf before the war, played lefthanded, and was a fixture at Ozark Country Club and the Arkansas Valley golf league for many years. Demus served in many roles in the Ozark community during his life. He was a long-time member of the Rotary Club and served in every officer role and as district governor. He was a volunteer fireman for many years and was the chief of the Fire Department for several years. He served as the County and Circuit Clerk in the 1950s. He was one of four fathers who founded the Ozark youth baseball program in 1960, and helped build the Ozark Country Club as a charter member. He was raised as a Baptist but joined the Ozark Methodist Church after marriage and sang for almost sixty years in the choir. He formed quartet singing groups wherever he went, including winning the state 4H talent contest with a group from Ozark in the early 1930s. Demus also loved playing country swing guitar, which he learned in high school and continued playing throughout his life. Demus is survived by his five children, Andrea Kay Romo (Fred) of Ozark, Robert Coe Anderson of Fayetteville, William LaDell Anderson (Catherine) of Bethesda, Maryland; Julie Daigh Robinson (David) of Russellville, and John Dickerson Anderson (Karla) of the Seattle, Washington area; and by two siblings, Norma Morrow and Corlene Ball. Demus had eight grandchildren, Bret Betnar of Lincoln, Nebraska, Bart Betnar (Yumi Nakajima) of Pusan, South Korea, Nate Anderson (Lynn Teo) of Boston, Massachusetts, Amanda Daigh Anderson (Matt McNally) of Washington, D. C., Katie Jacks and Lindsey Jacks of Russellville, and Ian and Ava Anderson of Washington state. His three great-grandchildren are Asana and Kai Nakajima Betnar of South Korea, and Logan James Hongyan Anderson of Boston. He was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Erie Glae Dickerson Anderson, who died in January of this year; by his parents William Eugene Anderson and Myrtle Welton Anderson; and by his siblings Nora Woods, Agnes Woods, Essie Turner, Lotha Carter, Hazel Duvall, Vera Overton, and Robert Anderson. Funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 18, 2012, at First United Methodist Church in Ozark with Rev. Keith Dodson officiating. Graveside services will be at Highland Cemetery, with arrangements by Shaffer Funeral Home of Ozark. A visitation will be held at the Fellowship Hall of the church on Monday evening, December 17, from 6:00 to 7:30. The family has asked that Memorials be made to First United Methodist Church or to the Heifer Project in Demus’s name.

Demus Eldridge Anderson

November 23, 1913 - December 14, 2012