Vigen Memorial Home obituary – Barry Anderson, 78, Carthage

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ANDERSON

Barry Anderson, 78, of Carthage, IL died Thursday, November 4, 2021 at the Quincy Healthcare and Senior Living Center. 

He was born June 16, 1943 in Rockford, IL the son of George Herman and Lorraine Shirley Jones Anderson.  

Barry graduated from East Rockford High School with the Class of 1961. He earned his B.A. degree in 1965 from Grinnell College, his Juris Doctorate in 1968 from the University of Iowa Law School and his M.A. Degree in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration in 1994 from Western Illinois University. 

On August 26, 1967 he was united in marriage to Phyllis Lichtenberg. To this union, three children were born, Robb, Seth and Kiersten. They later divorced. He married Portia Washburn on October 28, 1999 in Hamilton, IL.  She survives.

He is also survived by two sons, Robb Anderson (Ana) of Tepoztlan Morelos, Mexico and Seth Anderson (Marcy) of St. Louis, MO, one daughter, Kiersten Hensley (Shane) of St. Peter, Minnesota, two bonus daughters, Gracia Murphy (Dan) of Keokuk and Tiffany Roller of Carthage, IL, eleven grandchildren, Matias, Santiago, Agustin, Fletcher, Parker, Kennedy, Savannah, Georgia, Nolan, Harper and Ruby.  He is also survived by two sisters, Judy Larson (Randy) of Rockford, IL and Sally Cordova (David) of Colorado, Springs, CO, several nieces and nephews and his four legged companion, Addie Lou.

He was preceded in death by his parents and one grandson, Teddy Murphy.

Barry practiced law in Keokuk, Iowa for over 30 years. He was elected Lee County Attorney and served as a magistrate judge in Lee County. He had been the chairperson of the Iowa Criminal Law Section of the Iowa Bar Association and an active member of the Indigent Defense Task Force in Iowa.  In 1988 he became an adjunct professor at WIU until his hiring as an assistant professor in the LEJA School in 1993.   He retired from WIU on May 31, 2015.

Barry enjoyed baseball and coached several different teams over the years.  He was an avid Chicago Cubs fan and when it came to NASCAR he was a Jimmy Johnson fan.  Barry had a strong interest in the death penalty and wrote an article “The Death Penalty in Iowa” for the book, Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice: Shaping Tomorrow’s System.

Most of all, the time he spent with his grandchildren was priceless and the memories that were made will be forever treasured.

A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m., Thursday (Nov 11) at the Vigen Memorial Home in Keokuk, IA with Reverend Jerry Bown officiating.  Burial will be in the Oakwood Cemetery in Hamilton, IL.

Visitation will be held prior to the service Thursday (Nov 11) from 11-1 p.m., at the funeral home with family meeting with friends at that time.

Memorials may be made to Keokuk Little League.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.vigenmemorialhome.com.

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