George Anderson, founder of Anderson Die & Manufacturing Company of Portland, passed away peacefully in his sleep at his SW Portland home the morning of July 1, 2019.
George lead the Oregon Nursery industry’s movement from growing in used food containers to the reusable plastic containers of today. Anderson Die & Manufacturing was one of the first companies to offer plastic pots for growing and propagation in the northwest. The ready availability of George’s containers helped propel the growth of Oregon’s nursery industry.
George was born to parents, Charles and Ida Mae Anderson, at the Camp Mead Maryland Army base in the Washington DC area. After Charles’s retirement from the US Army the family moved to the Phoenix
area and then to Corvallis, Oregon where George attended Oregon State University for 3 plus years.
During World War II, George worked for the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in Burbank, California on projects such as the famous P-38 fighter and the B-17 Bomber, built under a Boeing License. He served as a union representation during his 6 years at Lockheed. He and his first wife, Elaine, moved from California back to Hillsboro, Oregon after the war. George founded Anderson Die & Manufacturing beginning with a small manufacturing plant on SW Macadam Avenue in 1954. The company moved to Milwaukie, Oregon in 1965. He remained active in the business into his 90s. George was a member of the Theosophical Society of Portland. He was also a donor that helped fund the Oregon Cambodian Buddhist Society in Stafford. George was awarded their Lifetime Achievement Award by the Columbia Section of the Society of Plastics Engineers in 2011. He enjoyed golfing at Eastmoreland Golf Course, bowling and walking. His most cherished travel memory was a trip to Easter Island in 2013. He was preceded in death by his wife, Kathleen (Bobbi) Anderson in 2008.
He is survived by two sons, Richard (Rick) and Larry; and 7 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at Holman Funeral Home, 2610 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland at 10 AM on Wednesday, August 28, followed by a reception at Eastmoreland Golf Course. Additional details are available at www.holmansfuneralservice.com.
