Willie L. Anderson, 90, of Lexington, passed away at 3:15 a.m. Friday (Feb. 1, 2019) at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center, Normal.
His funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Lexington Community Center, 207 W. Main St., with the Rev. Bill Brown officiating. Burial will follow at Lexington Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday at the Community Center and one hour prior to the service Tuesday. Memorials may be made to Lexington Community Church or the Route 66 Hall of Fame Museum. Calvert-Johnson & Musselman Memorial Home, Lexington, is assisting the family with services.
He was born April 17, 1928, in Chenoa, to Willie D. and Bessie Coyle Anderson. He married Edna Marie Brown on Sept. 8, 1945, in St. Louis, Mo. She survives.
Also surviving are three sons, Ronald (Donna Terven), Lexington; Randy (Ann) and Rick (Diane), both of Clinton. He had seven grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. Also surviving are three brothers, Bob Anderson, Gibson City, and David and Edward Anderson, both of Towanda; and two sisters, Bernice Climpson and Sharon Sleeter.
He had owned and operated Willie Anderson Trucking in Lexington since 1947. His whole life was dedicated to trucking. His trucking business was an original carrier on the historic roadway. He was inducted into the Route 66 Hall of Fame Museum in 2006. He was one of the first members of the Lexington Jaycees and a past president of a businessmen’s organization in Lexington. He was a hard worker for the Taste of Country Fair for many years and helped every year with the kiddie rides. He enjoyed helping anyone in need of something to be fixed — his shop was always open. He enjoyed visiting with family and friends; playing pool; spending winters in Mesa, Ariz., with Edna; and taking the little ones for rides in his little Model T car. He was a member of Lexington Community Church in Lexington. He loved the Lord and had a wonderful servant heart. His smile will be greatly missed by all who loved him.