Mr. Robert C. Anderson, age 63, died in St. Louis, Missouri on Tuesday, January 17th, 2012. Robert was born July 19th, 1948 to Lonnie M. Anderson and Rether Lee, in a little town south of Caruthersville, Missouri. Before he was one year old, his parents moved to St. Louis. There he spent the next 33 years, more or less. The city was a school and a battle ground. By the time he was 17, he had learned to sell wood, coal and scrap metal. He learned to box with the toughest guys in one of America's toughest ghettos. Sports had also helped to mold a resilient character. By the time Robert was 18, the sweetness and lure of war beckoned strongly. The next three years, from 1966 through 1969, were very traumatic ones emotionally and psychologically. In fact, he agreed that many of the effects of those years were still prevalent in his behavior later in life. But he did not give himself undue consideration, as the war exacted a toll on all who served. He was a decorated member of the United States Army 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions, and served his country as a paratrooper and Morse Code/Radio operator during the Vietnam War. He was awarded a Purple Heart for valor in battle. Throughout his years of living in a disadvantaged environment, he found three key ingredients that kept him alive, hoping and able to go on. He once said, "If we pray to God for perspective in what we do and for the ability to believe and thereby create a commitment, then we're just around the corner from where we want to be in life." He and his family lived in Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Oregon, Georgia and Vermont before returning to St. Louis in 1998. He was a professional billiard player for almost 50 years, and easily ranked among the very best in the country. Left to mourn his death: his wife of 43 years, Rosalind Moore, and his children, Robert Anderson, Jr. of Tucson, Arizona and Agnes Joseph of St. Louis. He also leaves behind two sisters, Louise Walls and Mabel Anderson; his five grandchildren, Adrienne, Gaelen, Tobias, Jolie and Sebastian; and his many, many nieces and nephews will miss him dearly. This Online Memorial has been created to commemorate the life of Robert Anderson. You are invited to add a Tribute in his memory. Please click "Sign Guestbook" below to add your own memories, reflections, thoughts or condolences.