Memorial

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The following story is of the hand of Bob Anderson, who is the son of William Anderson:
"My uncle, George R. Anderson, was born in Ely, Minnesota in I believe 1924. He was the youngest of 3 children of William F. and Anna Anderson. He had a sister Elda, born in 1917, and a brother William Jr. (Bill), born on Dec 11, 1922. Bill Jr. was my dad.

Because my Uncle Bob died in WWII Europe, and I was born in 1959, I don’t know too much about him. I’ll do my best to describe what I remembered hearing about him as I was growing up.

My dad and Bob were about two years apart in age, and were pretty close as brothers growing up during the Great Depression in Ely. At some point during the 1930’s, my grandparents acquired a 3 acre parcel on Burntside Lake. They developed the 100’ of shorefront putting in a rough dock, two room cabin, and of course a Finnish sauna. When I was a kid I remember seeing pictures of Dad and Bob making ice from the lake in the winter. They had a big buck saw and were cutting huge blocks of ice, pulling them up with ice tongs, then storing the ice in a shed appropriately called the ice shed. The ice house was still standing during my youth. My grandpa had converted it into a wood shed. I remember him telling stories of storing the ice in the ice house, covering the blocks with lots of saw dust, and having fresh ice all through the summer. Of course as a kid of the 60’s, I found that a bit hard to believe!!

My dad and Bob enjoyed everything outdoors. They hunted, fished, and explored the woods together as kids. Dad and Grandpa both told me that Uncle Bob was very religious and was considering joining the seminary. But then Pearl Harbor happened, we joined in WWII, Bob finished high school and joined the Army when he was able to. He didn’t make it out of Europe alive, and didn’t get to become a minister.

I have no memory of how my grandparents were informed of Bob’s passing. I imagine it was similar to the dozens of other families in Ely of the day, and probably got notification via telegram or whatever official communication was used during that period. It is common knowledge for today’s Ely residents that our town holds the highest per capita rate of deaths during WWII of any city in America. I also don’t know how my dad was informed of his brother’s death.

As I was growing up, my dad always spoke highly of his younger brother. They shared many memories of growing up in the Northwoods. I wish I would have had a chance to know my uncle, but unfortunately he didn’t make it back home, just like thousands of his fellow servicemen and women. His name is prominently displayed on a memorial plaque at the entrance to the Ely City Hall commemorating all Ely servicemen lost during WWII."