Waynard Anderson

Waynard Bruce Anderson age 94, of Kearney, NE passed away on May 27, 2022.   Memorial Service will be held June 3^rd at 10 a.m. in the chapel at the Kearney Evangelical Free Church. Arrangements by Govier Brothers, Broken Bow and officiated by Pastor Tim Peterson of the Broken Bow EFC.

Waynard Anderson was born to John Wm (Bill) and Pauline (Polly) (Yeager) Anderson on June 4, 1927.  He was 6^th in a family of nine children and grew up and worked on the farm in Phelps County, for many years farming with horses. 

As a young child, his family took him to Sunday School at the Emmaus and Holcomb Evangelical Free Churches. Then in 1944, the Holcomb Church hosted evangelistic meetings and out of 15 kids in their youth group, five of them including Waynard went forward to commit to follow Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

As a young man he participated in local rodeos and parades and taught Sunday School.  While attending youth group activities at the Westmark church near Loomis he met a young lady, Maxine Holmes. She also liked horses and farm and ranch life.  They married on January 22, 1950, right after the morning worship service at the Westmark Evangelical Free Church.  At her passing, they had been married 66 years.

They lived in Phelps County farming and ranching for their first 25 years of marriage, while starting their family, three boys and a girl.  He was involved in Cattle Feeder’s Association, the Funk Lion’s Club, 4-H leadership, and served on the school board at District R-5 and was an active member in the Holcomb EFC.  He completed his education and became a certified cattle buyer and bought cattle for local cattlemen throughout the area for many years. Waynard also enjoyed being a rodeo stock contractor with his brother Ward, providing stock for local amateur rodeos as well as putting on their own rodeos.

Following the dream of ranching, the couple moved several times, first to Loup and then Blaine County, then to Montana on the eastern slopes of the Rockies and finally to western Nebraska near Alliance.  They retired and relocated to Broken Bow in 2008.  After suffering a fractured hip in January 2018, he moved to Mother Hull Home in Kearney.

He has always been involved in church ministry wherever they lived, serving as deacon, trustee and usher. He also was an active member of the Gideons. His favorite place to serve was usher and loved to teach young people in the church how to welcome and encourage church attenders.  He also enjoyed cooking and serving men’s fellowship breakfasts.  He always felt that two essentials in life were coffee and ice cream.

Survivors include his brother and wife, Ward and Connie Anderson of Elm Creek and sister-in-law Sharon Anderson of Elm Creek, and numerous nephews and nieces.  Also survived by his children, Daniel and Wanda Anderson of St Joseph, Missouri, June and Eric Petersen of Kearney, Wylie and Janet Anderson of Kimball, and Brad and Joye Anderson of Albion; ten grandchildren with their spouses, 33 great grandchildren, and one great great grandchild, Lucy, daughter of Trent and Sophie Shell.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Maxine and his siblings, Marie (Win Johnson), Louise (Dean Hendricks), Wendell (Evelyn), Doris (Jim High), Farres (Floyd Lind), Roberta (Truman Streeter) and Leland.   In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Gideons International.