Dennis Anderson

Denny MichaelAnderson, 73, of Champaign passed away Oct. 3t,2024, in Hawaii.
The son of Marcella Rose Schwensen and Leroy H. Anderson, he was born on Dec. 28,
1950, in Iowa. The family moved to Champaign soon after.
Denny manifested artistic talents early and constantly read books. He was a precocious,
meticulous kid with a strong drive to achieve his creative ambitions.
He graduated with a degree in architecture from the University of Illinois in 1973.
Shortly after starting work as a draftsman, stuck in an office building while yearning for
fresh air and sunlight, he stuck out to pursue his lifelong passion for designing and
building with his own two hands.
Denny was a pioneer in energy-efficient, passive solar home building. He later taught
the concepts at Parkland College. Teaching became a central theme of his life. He loved
to share his knowledge, enthusiasm and skills with others, especially his children.
Throughout his life, Denny embodied the definition of a renaissance man. These are just
a few of his accomplishments:
He built beautifully inventive homes, decks, additions, flagstone floors, fences,
Japanese-style gardens, tree houses and more over a 50-plus-year career. He was a 20-
plus-year Boy Scouts of America adult leader, serving as Scoutmaster of Troop 17
before co-founding and leading spacejamboree.com, an annual event that has given
thousands of Scouts from around the world the opportunity to earn merit badges and
communicate directly with astronauts on the International Space Station. He served for
one year as BSA executive for the island of Kauai. He found and secured a true hidden
treasure after years of investigation, swearing a select few to secrecy about its origins
and whereabouts. Demonstrating the power of his oft-repeated dictum, "You are your
best teacher," he taught himself to play piano late in life- True to form, he skipped past
beginner-friendly pieces, focusing first on learning "Clair de Lune."

Denny reveled in the beauty of Kauai, spending several months there each year with his
beloved wife and adventuring partner, Anne Anderson. He suffered a stroke there in
October. The last three-and-a-half weeks of his life were spent on Oahu, in the
extraordinary care of the staff of Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu and then the
Navian Hospice Home in Kailua.
Denny was loved. He touched many lives with his unique humor, wit and love for
knowledge. His creations live on.
Denny was preceded in death by his parents, Marcella Schwensen and Leroy Anderson;
brother Tom Andrews; sister Carol Rodewald; and niece, Cheyenne Andrews.
He is survived by his wife of 23 years, Anne Anderson of Champaign; ex-wife and
mother of his children, Julie Dietrich of Champaign; their children, Mark Anderson of
Eureka, Mo., and wife Rachel, Terra Roush of Nashville and husband Scott and Dustin
Anderson of Champaign; grandchildren, Bernadette Anderson and Eleanor Roush;
sisters Lynda Worner, DebbieApplegate and Margaret Purkiser; and brothers Darreil
Andrews and Randy Andrews.