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Reuben Victor Anderson

Born July 31, 1898; Married October 25, 1923 (Ruth Marie Lundberg, d. July 31, 1994); Died September 2, 1982

Children: Melvin Keith Anderson, August 11, 1925; Donald Victor Anderson, October 14, 1929;
Rodney Vernon Anderson, July 9, 1931; Ila Marie Anderson McIlvain, May 21, 1933

Reuben Anderson lived 84 years.  That is a long time, and Reuben took advantage
of those 84 years, living each to its fullest with thanks to God for life and
daily strength. Reuben's life is much like the poem that talks about the pebble
dropped into the ocean and the ripples that go on and on and on.  Only eternity will
reveal to us the impact of the ripples of his life upon his family, community,
state and country.

In this day of mobility it is interesting to note that Reuben lived nearly 73 years
in the same house, the house built by his father on the land the family
homesteaded north of Pine Bluffs, the house to which he brought his bride, Ruth
Marie Lundberg, and the land he took over and farmed.  He was a hard-working
farmer and in the 30's, when times were tough and he could have lost the farm,
he traveled throughout Wyoming selling insurance to help raise the money necessary
to keep the farm and to maintain his commitment to his family.  In time he
developed a very successful diversified dryland farming operation.

Reuben accumulated an impressive list of accomplishments during his lifetime. 
He served three terms in the Wyoming House and one term in the Wyoming Senate.
He was an active member of the Albin Baptist Church, going back to 1912, and sang
in the choir for nearly 45 years as well as holding numerous other offices.  He
spearheaded the American Cancer Society drive in Wyoming for two years.  He served
as trustee for the telephone company.  He helped organize and served as President
of a local coop.  He helped organize a drive to get the road from Pine Bluffs to
Albin paved.  He was a director of the Rural Electric Association in Pine Bluffs.
He was a member of the Foreign Missions Board of the Baptist General Conference.
The ripples from these and other activities go on and on and on.

Reuben's involvement with the Wyoming Farm Bureau began in the early 1940s. 
His vision and spirit have been and inspiration to many.  He was initially elected
to the WFB Board of Directors in 1942 and served in some leadership capacity
continuously for over 35 years.  He was on the Board of Directors for 33 years
and President from 1949 until 1960.  When he joined the Farm Bureau there were
about 2000 members and when he left there were about 9000.

It is probably in the least tangible areas of life, those areas of making
life count for eternity, that Reuben had the greatest impact.  Reuben was an
astute student of the Bible and believed, in theory as well as in practice, Jesus'
words: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth..., but store up for
yourselves treasures in heaven.  For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also.”  We cannot begin to know the influence Reuben had in the molding
of lives.  We do know that it did not make any difference where he was, in the
legislature, working in the fields at home, at church, writing newspaper articles,
attending Farm Bureau Board meetings, he stood true to his beliefs and transmitted
them to others with clarity and firm conviction, both by word and through the
example of his life.

- Ila Marie Mcllvain, 1984

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