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Anderson, friends hunted for 40 years [UPDATED]
Published 9:37am Monday, December 17, 2012 Updated 11:40am Monday, December 17, 2012Andy Anderson and six close friends grew up in the Adams School area on the south side of Fergus Falls. They hunted together a span of four decades.
This band of brothers was a topic of conversation after Anderson’s passing on Dec. 7.
“We always felt blessed to remain close friends from our grade school days well
into our adult lives,” said Tom Greenagel. “Even though we went our separate ways for work and family, we got together every year for hunting, in North Dakota. Later on our kids joined us each fall for duck hunting over the MEA weekend.”
Joining Anderson and Greenagel were close friends Tim Cashman, Roger Sinner, John Soby, Roger Hesby and Pete Hoff. Cashman hosted the gang each fall at his residence in Minot, N.D.
This group represented the Fergus Falls High School classes of 1958 and 1959. They also enjoyed some pheasant hunting, in addition to duck hunting.
Hesby, a dentist in Detroit Lakes, died 22 years ago. He was only 50 and his passing was tough on the others.
But the band of brothers continued to hunt each fall, dedicating their outings to the memory of Hesby.
Greenagel became a dentist in Fergus Falls. Anderson headed accounting at Otter Tail Power Company. Sinner worked for Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, Ind., Hoff became a Fergus Falls attorney and later a judge, Soby worked in the construction business in Fergus Falls and Cashman headed a tree farm business near Minot.
The hunting buddies also were good athletes at Fergus Falls High School. Anderson always took pride that his close friends Sinner and Cashman went on to bigger and better things in the world of athletics.
Sinner became a pitcher in the San Francisco Giants organization and Cashman was a member of two Minnesota Gopher Rose Bowl teams, as a backup running back.
“Each hunting outing included not only renewal of friendships but also a lot of kidding,” said Greenagel. “Our kids were really surprised at how we razzed one another now and then.”
It came as no surprise to his hunting buddies when Anderson became active with Ducks Unlimited.
He put his heart and soul into this organization at the local, state and national levels.
The Minnesota DU organization, in a succeeding year, honored Andy for his many years of work in promoting wildlife conservation.
One year Morrie Heyen was the successful bidder on a Fergus Falls DU auction item.
The winning bid allowed Heyen to join the band of brothers for a duck hunting outing in North Dakota.
Anderson was a big supporter of the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center in Fergus Falls. He was a school board member, served in the youth hockey program and was active in many other organizations and activities in Fergus Falls.
Andy, like so many other residents in Otter Tail County, also enjoyed fishing.
On two occasions Anderson joined a renowned group of fishermen for outings at Lake of the Woods near Canada.
The group included Al Hexum, Sonny Mjelde, Jim Amdal, Harley Oyloe, Walt Wenino, Jim Brewer and Don Ryan.
Andy accomplished much in life. For me, he’s a prime example of the commonly used phrase, “It’s not what you are, but who you are.”
