1953
Garry
2015
Garry Dean Anders
April 16, 1953 — June 10, 2015
Garry Dean Anders was born April 16, 1953, the son of Velma (Johnson) Anders and Harold Anders. Garry was born on the Marine base Camp Pendleton in Southern California while his father was undergoing basic training. When his father was shipped to Japan on stand-by for the Korean conflict, Garry and his mother returned to Clinton to live with his maternal grandparents, Charles and Mary Johnson.
Garry's grandparents Charles and Mary played an influential role in his life. They developed his love of gardening, flowers, fishing, game playing, and especially music.
He began his musical career at the age of four when his Uncle Don Johnson started Garry on trumpet. His earliest recollection of performing was when he was six, playing “Ain't She Sweet†at the Clinton talent show with his grandmother Mary accompanying him on piano.
Upon his father's return from Japan, Garry and his family continued to live in Clinton. He attended a two room, four grade elementary school in Clinton. The school housed grades one and two in one room and grades three and four in the other. The family later moved to Warrensburg, MO for four years and then to Sedalia, MO where Garry attended Smith-Cotton High School, graduating in 1971.
During high school, Garry met and dated the love of his life, Genie Herrick, during their senior year. Following graduation, Garry attended Culver-Stockton College and Genie attended the University of MO-Columbia. After spending a year of hitch-hiking most weekends to Columbia, he transferred to MU his sophomore year. Genie and Garry were married following their junior year on August 10, 1974 at Sacred Heart Church in Sedalia. Both graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1975 with teaching degrees.
Garry held many jobs while he was growing up. He started work while in the fifth grade at the Warrensburg newspaper and would later hold jobs working in various factories, movie theaters, gas stations, restaurants, construction, and on-campus jobs in the cafeteria and for the anthropology department. Sometimes working as many as three jobs at a time, Garry worked thirty to sixty hours a week while attending high school and college.
His first job as band director was at Fayette High School from 1975-77. The following year, he and Genie moved to Las Cruces, NM and he received his Master of Music degree from New Mexico State University. They returned to Missouri and Garry became Director of Bands at Odessa from 1978-81 while Genie taught children with learning disabilities.
Shortly after moving to Odessa, their first child Abigail was born and Andrea would follow 14 months later. A few years later their third child, Amanda, was born. Garry loved gardening, camping, fishing, their dog Socks, the backyard pool, going to the sale barn, T-ball, basketball, softball, dance, track, and music with his three girls. His greatest pride was in his three daughters each earning a college degree, and becoming wonderful women with beautiful families of their own.
In 1983, Garry began a twenty-four year career teaching band in Grandview, MO. The last seven years he was Director of Bands. His Grandview bands were selected to play at the Missouri Bandmasters Convention, the Missouri Music Educators Conference, the National Association for Music Education in Minneapolis, the International Association for Jazz Education in New York, the Essentially Ellington competition at Lincoln Center, and the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. The bands selected to perform for these conventions came from a pool of as many as forty who submitted tapes. Garry's Grandview band is still the only band in Missouri to perform at every one of these conventions.
In 2007 Garry began teaching at Missouri Valley College in Marshall. At that time there was no band program. Starting with only two students, the band program has grown to forty students. After three years at Valley, Garry and his colleagues developed a concert band, jazz band, jazz combos, and drum line. The college also began to offer a music education degree. The first student to graduate with a music education degree from Missouri Valley College in nearly forty years occurred only six years later in 2014.
During his career, Garry received many awards including Teacher of the Year at Grandview High School. He also received the Charles Emmons Outstanding Band Director Award and the Jesse Cole Award for Outstanding Contributions to Jazz Education. Both awards are presented to only one band director in Missouri each year. He was Jazz Vice-President of Missouri Music Educators from 2010 to 2012. He also directed the Missouri All-Collegiate Jazz Ensemble and the Jazz Educators Network.
One of his favorite activities was traveling. Garry and Genie's love of the outdoors would take them to many state and national parks including Meremec, Truman, Acadia, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Hot Springs, Rocky Mountain, Glacier, Everglades, Sequoia, and many others. They drew strength from nature, always leaving stronger than when they arrived.
Much of Garry’s strength and joy came from his grandchildren. Garry and Genie enjoyed spending time with the grandchildren camping, fishing, rafting, horse back riding, playing video games and spoons, billiards, football, ping-pong, bingo, croquet, gardening, jumping in the leaves, sledding, eating at Taco Bell, shopping at Target, going to the movies, and just hanging out. Unconditional love was both given to and received from Drew, Alli, Connor, Paige, and Graydon.
Garry leaves behind his wife of the home, Genie; three daughters, Abigail, Andrea, and Amanda; three sons-in-law, Nathan Rudolph, Shawn Vernon, Ryan Goble; and five grandchildren, Andrew and Allison Rudolph, Connor and Paige Vernon, and Graydon Goble.
Garry’s spirit left his body and returned home on June 10, 2015. His ashes will be interned in the Odessa Cemetery along with Genie upon her passing.
Memorial services for Garry will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2015 at 10:00 am at the First Christian Church, Odessa. Visitation for Garry will be held on Friday, June 12, 2015 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Ralph O. Jones Funeral Home, Odessa, MO. Burial will be at a later date. Memorials may be made to the Odessa School Band Program or the Grandview Band Program.
Arrangements: Ralph O. Jones Funeral Home. 306 S. 2nd Street, Odessa, MO 64076 (816-633-5524
Garry's grandparents Charles and Mary played an influential role in his life. They developed his love of gardening, flowers, fishing, game playing, and especially music.
He began his musical career at the age of four when his Uncle Don Johnson started Garry on trumpet. His earliest recollection of performing was when he was six, playing “Ain't She Sweet†at the Clinton talent show with his grandmother Mary accompanying him on piano.
Upon his father's return from Japan, Garry and his family continued to live in Clinton. He attended a two room, four grade elementary school in Clinton. The school housed grades one and two in one room and grades three and four in the other. The family later moved to Warrensburg, MO for four years and then to Sedalia, MO where Garry attended Smith-Cotton High School, graduating in 1971.
During high school, Garry met and dated the love of his life, Genie Herrick, during their senior year. Following graduation, Garry attended Culver-Stockton College and Genie attended the University of MO-Columbia. After spending a year of hitch-hiking most weekends to Columbia, he transferred to MU his sophomore year. Genie and Garry were married following their junior year on August 10, 1974 at Sacred Heart Church in Sedalia. Both graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1975 with teaching degrees.
Garry held many jobs while he was growing up. He started work while in the fifth grade at the Warrensburg newspaper and would later hold jobs working in various factories, movie theaters, gas stations, restaurants, construction, and on-campus jobs in the cafeteria and for the anthropology department. Sometimes working as many as three jobs at a time, Garry worked thirty to sixty hours a week while attending high school and college.
His first job as band director was at Fayette High School from 1975-77. The following year, he and Genie moved to Las Cruces, NM and he received his Master of Music degree from New Mexico State University. They returned to Missouri and Garry became Director of Bands at Odessa from 1978-81 while Genie taught children with learning disabilities.
Shortly after moving to Odessa, their first child Abigail was born and Andrea would follow 14 months later. A few years later their third child, Amanda, was born. Garry loved gardening, camping, fishing, their dog Socks, the backyard pool, going to the sale barn, T-ball, basketball, softball, dance, track, and music with his three girls. His greatest pride was in his three daughters each earning a college degree, and becoming wonderful women with beautiful families of their own.
In 1983, Garry began a twenty-four year career teaching band in Grandview, MO. The last seven years he was Director of Bands. His Grandview bands were selected to play at the Missouri Bandmasters Convention, the Missouri Music Educators Conference, the National Association for Music Education in Minneapolis, the International Association for Jazz Education in New York, the Essentially Ellington competition at Lincoln Center, and the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. The bands selected to perform for these conventions came from a pool of as many as forty who submitted tapes. Garry's Grandview band is still the only band in Missouri to perform at every one of these conventions.
In 2007 Garry began teaching at Missouri Valley College in Marshall. At that time there was no band program. Starting with only two students, the band program has grown to forty students. After three years at Valley, Garry and his colleagues developed a concert band, jazz band, jazz combos, and drum line. The college also began to offer a music education degree. The first student to graduate with a music education degree from Missouri Valley College in nearly forty years occurred only six years later in 2014.
During his career, Garry received many awards including Teacher of the Year at Grandview High School. He also received the Charles Emmons Outstanding Band Director Award and the Jesse Cole Award for Outstanding Contributions to Jazz Education. Both awards are presented to only one band director in Missouri each year. He was Jazz Vice-President of Missouri Music Educators from 2010 to 2012. He also directed the Missouri All-Collegiate Jazz Ensemble and the Jazz Educators Network.
One of his favorite activities was traveling. Garry and Genie's love of the outdoors would take them to many state and national parks including Meremec, Truman, Acadia, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Hot Springs, Rocky Mountain, Glacier, Everglades, Sequoia, and many others. They drew strength from nature, always leaving stronger than when they arrived.
Much of Garry’s strength and joy came from his grandchildren. Garry and Genie enjoyed spending time with the grandchildren camping, fishing, rafting, horse back riding, playing video games and spoons, billiards, football, ping-pong, bingo, croquet, gardening, jumping in the leaves, sledding, eating at Taco Bell, shopping at Target, going to the movies, and just hanging out. Unconditional love was both given to and received from Drew, Alli, Connor, Paige, and Graydon.
Garry leaves behind his wife of the home, Genie; three daughters, Abigail, Andrea, and Amanda; three sons-in-law, Nathan Rudolph, Shawn Vernon, Ryan Goble; and five grandchildren, Andrew and Allison Rudolph, Connor and Paige Vernon, and Graydon Goble.
Garry’s spirit left his body and returned home on June 10, 2015. His ashes will be interned in the Odessa Cemetery along with Genie upon her passing.
Memorial services for Garry will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2015 at 10:00 am at the First Christian Church, Odessa. Visitation for Garry will be held on Friday, June 12, 2015 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Ralph O. Jones Funeral Home, Odessa, MO. Burial will be at a later date. Memorials may be made to the Odessa School Band Program or the Grandview Band Program.
Arrangements: Ralph O. Jones Funeral Home. 306 S. 2nd Street, Odessa, MO 64076 (816-633-5524
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