** Update to service information **

Mark Edward Anderson, 75, of Woodbury, passed away peacefully on January 31 with his three daughters by his side.

Mark was born on January 20, 1950 in St. Louis, Missouri to Russell Brewer Anderson (parents Brewer and Anna Anderson) and Patricia Ann (Moody) Anderson (parents Edward and Margaret Moody). In 1954, the family moved to Woodbury, Connecticut where Russell and Patricia later welcomed sons David and Keith.

Mark was a 1967 graduate of Woodbury High School and spent his summers working on the GM&O railroad with his maternal grandfather in Alton, Illinois. He went on to attend George Washington University, Bishop's University (Canada), Southern Connecticut State University (BA in Political Science), and Western Connecticut State University (MA in History). Mark's 1989 MA thesis, titled "The Shepaug Valley Railroad, 1866-1948: An American Story," was the first narrative history of the Shepaug Valley Railroad.

Mark was a chaplain assistant (71M20) in the U.S. Army, stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia and Fort Devens, Massachusetts.

His work as a chaplain assistant led him to his lifelong career in mental and behavioral health. Mark started his career working at Southbury Training School before moving on to a nearly forty-year career as a psychiatric therapist at Waterbury Hospital.

At the time of his passing, Mark had celebrated forty-five years of sobriety and was active in both Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, where he served as sponsor and grand-sponsor to many.

Mark loved to travel by train, plane, bus, boat, and automobile, both domestically and internationally. He passed his love for the journey along to his daughters. He was an avid model railroader and member of the European Train Enthusiasts and Connecticut S-Gaugers train clubs. A lover of sports, Mark regularly attended the Harvard-Yale football game in memory of his late father (Harvard class of 1933) and was a supporter of the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, and the Swedish national football teams. A lover of animals as well, large and small, Mark passed on this love for animals to his daughters. Mark was the best "grandpa" to his fur grandchildren.

Mark was loved and respected by all who knew him. His kind demeanor and jovial spirit allowed him to make friends anywhere he went.

Mark lives through his three daughters Larissa, Keira, and Alexa Anderson, whom he always referred to as the greatest joys of his life; their mother Donna Reilly; brother David Anderson; niece Ellen Reilly; great-nieces Dakota and Mya Bottass; paternal cousins Jane Anderson Vercelli, Rolf Anderson, and Kurt Anderson; maternal cousins John Vincent and his wife Michelle, Emma Darlene Vincent Acquaviva and her husband Norm, Ronnie Vincent, and Lloyd "Jay" Foster and his wife Clare; and the many friends who keep his memory eternal.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Mark's incredible Cardiology team at YNHH for their compassion, dedication, and support during these past few years. A special thank you is also due to family friend Ingrid Staple-Willis whose care and positivity brought love, light, and laughter into the lives of Mark and his family.

Calling hours will take place from 5:00-8:00 pm on Tuesday, March 4, at Munson-Lovetere Funeral Home, 2 School St., Woodbury.

A spring burial service will take place at New North Cemetery in Woodbury at 11:30am on Saturday, May 24, and a memorial gathering will immediately follow at the Leroy Anderson House, 33 Grassy Hill Rd., Woodbury.

To leave an online condolence for the family please visit www.munsonloveterefuneralhome.com