Jr Andersen

Theodore Roosevelt Andersen, Jr., was born on December 25, 1934, on the family farm west of Audubon, Iowa. The farm was purchased by Junior’s Danish immigrant grandparents Jens C. and Karen Marie Andersen and was designated as a century farm in 2007. Junior was the son of T.R. Andersen, Sr. and Cecelia Kristensen Andersen. Junior was baptized and confirmed at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church. He attended Leroy #4 country school until the 8th grade. His first job was unloading bags of concrete mix from railroad cars at the ready-mix plant in Audubon. This job only lasted a couple of weeks before he returned to the family farm to work with his dad.

In 1957, Junior enlisted in the U.S. Army. He attended basic training at Fort Chaffee in Arkansas. After basic training, he was stationed at Fort Bliss in Texas. He was originally assigned to a radar van but later volunteered to join the motor pool. Junior was assigned to the RCAT (Radio Controlled Aerial Target) Company. His job was to drive a truck to pick up aerial targets after they were shot down by missiles around the Red Canyon in New Mexico. Junior was honorably discharged in November 1958.

Following his military service, Junior returned to the family farm and helped his dad farm and with the trucking business. He also did custom hay baling. In 1960, Junior purchased his first semi-tractor and started T.R. Andersen, Jr. Trucking. In 1963 Junior and his dad took the train to Chicago and then a bus to Fort Worth, Indiana and purchased his first diesel truck, a 1964 International. Junior and his dad combined their separate trucking businesses in 1980 and incorporated. Over his career, Junior hauled livestock to stockyards in Chicago, Il; Omaha, NE; Sioux City, IA; and St. Joseph, MO. He also hauled cattle from the western states back to Iowa for local farmers and hauled grain and rock.

Some of Junior’s favorite activities included shooting pool, eating lunch at Darrell’s Place, and drinking a beer at the end of the day. He became a resident of the Friendship Home on February 26, 2021. Junior passed away at the Friendship Home on August 28, 2025.

Junior was preceded in death by his parents, T.R. and Cecelia Andersen, and his sister Ione and brother-in-law Pap LaFoy. Survivors include his nephew Randall (Penny) LaFoy, and nieces Donna (Ron) Whitaker, and Denise England and step-niece Mary Jo (Mike) Krauel step-nephew Mike (Deb) Stiles.

Pall bearers: Tim Andersen, Bruce Andersen, Steven Andersen, Derek Andersen, Terry Andersen, Greg Drake

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Audubon, IA, with Rev. Pastor Sean Dougherty officiating the service. Interment will take place following the funeral at Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon. Following the committal, a luncheon will be held in the Fellowship Hall of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church.

Visitation will take place one hour prior to the funeral on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at the Church.

Memorials may be directed to the following in memory of Junior Andersen: Audubon County Memorial Hospital, Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, or the Friendship Home, all of Audubon. They may be mailed to the Schmidt Family Funeral Home, P.O. Box 201, Audubon, IA 50025.

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the Schmidt Family Funeral Home of Audubon.