April 7, 1956 - May 23, 2025
It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Husband, Father and Papa, Jack Anderson, on May 23, 2025. His family is incredibly proud of how he handled decades of medical issues with grace, bravery and determination, and are thankful that he is now at peace.
Jack was born on April 7, 1956 in Drumheller to Mary and Albert Anderson, being the youngest of 8 siblings. For the majority of his early years, Jack lived on Ploeg Street where life was hard, but at the same time full of fond memories.
In 1973 Jack met his soulmate and high school sweetheart, Debbie Bantle. They married in 1978, and from this union had two beautiful and amazing children, Denise and Chris. Life was always full of fun and adventure, with family being at the forefront of everything he and Debbie did. Jack was up for trying anything at least once, enjoying the thrills of hang-gliding, broomball, and slow pitch, a nice mix of competitiveness and beer league antics. When the kids arrived, Jack always made time to drive through blizzards to hockey tournaments, sit through vocal competitions at music festivals, and enjoy numerous family vacations. He instilled in his kids the value of hard work and pushing through hard moments and obstacles that may arise. At the same time, he also ensured they grew up knowing more ‘untraditional’ pieces of wisdom, such as the importance of cheering for ‘A-B-C’ (Anybody But Calgary) in hockey, and picking the best spots to hide in the dark to get the biggest jump scare out of people. He continued to pass these lessons on (and more!) to his grandsons, Hunter and Levi, and granddaughter, Willow. His legacy will live on through his beloved grandchildren, and he was so incredibly proud to be called their Papa.
At a young age, Jack was determined to start earning his keep and got his first job at the bowling alley when he was only 13. From there, Jack would later work at the Drumheller Mail, the Coca-Cola plant, and ultimately the Drumheller Co-op where he held the position of Lumber Manager for many years. Everybody knew ‘Lumber Jack’, and even when he was on a rest day, it didn’t stop people from calling in and asking “Is Jack off today?”, a joke that never grew old. After leaving the Co-op, Jack worked at the Drumheller Institution in both the greenhouse and Corcan industries until his health became unmanageable.
Jack had a huge personality and could chat it up and make anyone feel comfortable in his presence. He was charming, social and funny…people gravitated to him. He was a good guy, and he likewise saw the good in everybody he met. People felt a connection when they talked to Jack.
Jack leaves to mourn his passing and miss him everyday his loving wife of 47 years, Debbie, his daughter Denise Lindsay and son-in-law Spencer, his son Chris Anderson and daughter-in-law Gillian, along with his grandsons Hunter and Levi and granddaughter Willow.
The family would like to express our most heartfelt thanks to Dr. Olfert for his care and compassionate treatment of Jack over the many years, as well as the St. Michael’s PARP team located in Lethbridge, an absolute amazing treatment team who worked with Jack in his final months.
At Jack’s request, there will be no funeral service. However, a Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 21st at 1:00 at the Nacmine Community Hall. The family would love to have all those that knew Jack come and share their favourite memories.
