Dan Anderson

A memorial service to celebrate the life of Dan Anderson, 79, a resident of Eldridge, will be 10 a.m. Friday, February 7, 2025 at Faith Lutheran Church, 500 W. LeClaire Street, Eldridge. The service will be livestreamed by visiting  Faith Lutheran FacebookVisitation will be Thursday from 4 until 7 p.m. at church. Keeping with Dan’s wishes cremation rites have taken place. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Faith Lutheran Church or to the family to establish a scholarship for band students. Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

Dan died Monday, February 3, 2025 at MercyOne-Genesis, Davenport following a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.

Dan was born on January 18, 1946 in Morrison, Illinois, a son of Earl V. and Dorothy H. (Pruis) Anderson. He graduated from Morrison Community High School in 1964 where he excelled on the basketball court and found his calling as a band director under the tutelage of his mentor Dr. Robert Glenton. Dan went on to the University of Iowa where he graduated from in 1969 with a degree in music education. While at Iowa, Dan was a part of the Marching Band, Symphonic Band, as well as the Jazz Band. As part of the Symphonic Band and cultural exchange, Dan was able to perform all over Western Europe and the Soviet Union under the direction of Fred Ebbs.

Dan was united in marriage to Mary Ann Finkenhoefer on June 22, 1968 at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church. They have shared over 56 years of adventures together.

Following graduation, Dan took a teaching job at West Branch Elementary while working on his Masters degree in Trombone Performance, and then took a job in 1971 at West Branch High School where he was Band Director until 1976. In 1976, he succeeded Artie McIntosh as the Band Director at North Scott High School where he retired from in 2001. He was awarded the Golden Apple Award in 1993 and a finalist for Iowa Teacher of the Year in 1994. Dan also taught at the Birch Creek Music Academy Jazz Camp in Door County, Wisconsin for 15 summers. He was a member of many professional groups, including the Iowa Bandmasters Association, serving as president in 1986; the Southeast Iowa Bandmasters, also serving a term as president; helped established the Iowa Alliance for the Arts Education, and was a district representative for the Iowa Music Educators Association. One of his greatest and proudest achievements was the large number of former students that went on to become band/choir directors. 

As much as he loved his family and music, Dan loved sports too. He was a diehard Iowa Hawkeye and Chicago Cubs fan and enjoyed playing tennis, basketball, and golf, most times at Glynn’s Creek in Long Grove. He and Mary Ann enjoyed travelling, making it to most the National Parks, taking over 30 cruises, and spent fifteen winters in Siesta Key, Florida.

Those left to cherish Dan’s memory are his wife, Mary Ann, Eldridge; sons and daughters-in-law, Troy (Amy) Anderson, Lombard, Illinois and Drew (Tara Daurer) Anderson, Bettendorf; grandchildren: Ava, Nile, Finn, Gabriel, and Jacqueline Anderson; sister-in-law, Ada Anderson, Morrison, Illinois, niece, Laurie, and a large extended Finkenhoefer family. 

He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Harvey Anderson and twin infant sisters, Lori and Dorie.