Gayle Anderson

Gayle Eugene Anderson, 83, of Lawrence, Kansas passed away peacefully Saturday, July 11, 2020 at the Louisburg Health Care and Rehabilitation Center in Louisburg, Kansas where he had been a resident since this spring. Gayle was a devoted husband, father and grandfather.

He was born March 18, 1937 in a White City, Kansas family farmhouse, to parents Glen and Ruby Anderson. He graduated from White City Rural High School in 1955 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy, reaching the rank of hospital corpsman second class petty officer, the equivalent of staff sergeant. He was very proud of his service as a hospital corpsman.

He attended Kansas State Teachers College, now known as Emporia State University, from 1959 to 1961, where he met the love of his life, Donna Rae Davis. They married Dec. 28, 1960 in Emporia, Kansas.

They moved to California, where Gayle attended Sacramento State College, now known as California State University, Sacramento. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in public administration, with a concentration in general police administration.

After his graduation in 1963, Gayle began work as a civilian agent in the Office of Naval Intelligence in Long Beach, Calif., embarking on a career that gave him tremendous pride and fulfillment. He rose to special agent before taking medical retirement in 1977. His ONI experience included assignments in Yokosuka, Japan and Sasebo, Japan, Bainbridge, Md. and Alexandria, Va. He joined the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1965 and was commissioned as an ensign, later retiring as a lieutenant commander in 1978.

Gayle enjoyed traveling to reunions with former ONI, now known as NCIS, colleagues around the country in his later years. He delighted in telling stories of living abroad, wearing his NCIS ball caps, and recalling his investigation work in conversations with friends and family, especially his grandchildren.

When his NCIS career ended, the family returned to Kansas and Gayle founded Olde Tyme Toys out of their home in Ottawa, Kansas. His woodworking talents attracted an investor and prompted a move to Lawrence, Kansas where the company became American Keystone Limited and expanded to feature decorative items. Coca Cola hired Gayle to create the prototype for a wooden old-style soda truck to mark the company's 100th anniversary. He made multiple sales trips abroad with his woodworking creations, and his signed pieces are valuable collectors' items today.

Gayle also worked as a business representative for an asbestos-removal company in Lawrence, Kansas for several years before retiring to spend time traveling with Donna and dear friends and family to Alaska, Hawaii, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Yellowstone National Park, Mt. Rushmore, the East Coast and more. He was known for his meticulous genealogy research and he assembled exhaustive family history records that he shared widely.

Gayle was incredibly proud of his sons, Craig Richard (Mary) of Middletown, Del. and Brian David (Kathy) of Louisburg, Kansas and his grandchildren Austin Needham and Audrey, Davis and Grady Anderson.

In addition to his wife and children, he is survived by two brothers, Wendall (Jo Retta) of St. Augustine, Fla., and Rudy (Kathy) of Salina, Kansas and a sister, Lana (Gene) Allen of White City, Kansas. He was predeceased by his parents and a brother and sister-in-law Francis (Betty) of West Virginia.

In lieu of floral donations, contributions in Gayle's name may be sent to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 215 W. Pershing Road, Suite 300, Kansas City, Missouri, 64108 or jdrf.org. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a celebration of Gayle's life will be held at a later date.