Vincent "Pike" Ray Anderson

Vincent “Pike” Anderson, 76, of Hewitt, died on Wednesday, October 7, 2020, at Providence
Hospice Place surrounded by his family after a brief but courageous battle with cancer. A service
to celebrate his life will be held 11 a.m. on Monday, October 12, 2020 at Grace Garden
Funeral Home in Woodway, Texas. The Rev. John T. Wells will officiate. Wearing masks and
social distancing will be required at the service.
Pike was born on August 18,1944 in Sedalia, Missouri to John Kenneth Anderson and
Genevieve Katherine Collier Anderson. His family moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where he
graduated from Provine High School in 1962. He graduated from Mississippi State University in
1967, where he was a member of the ROTC and a member of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity.
He completed a master’s degree in 1977 from The University of South Alabama.
Pike Anderson had a notable career of military service. After attending Army flight school, he
was deployed to Vietnam to fly AH-1G Cobra helicopter gunships for the Air Cavalry. In 1970,
he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for action in the A Shau Valley of
Vietnam. In 1973, he was honorably discharged from the Army as a Captain. Pike was on active
duty in the Texas National Guard from March 1986 to August 2004, when he retired from
the U.S. Army with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer (W4).
Pike retired as Chief of Kinesiotherapy in March of 2000 after working at the Veterans’ Administration
in Waco since 1977. Upon retirement, he worked with The Military Order of the Purple
Heart (MOPH) where he was a National Service Officer helping Veterans with their VA claims at
the Waco VA Regional Office. He was presented the Kenneth Richardson Award as the 2008
MOPH National Service Officer of the Year. He retired from MOPH in December 2015 as the
Region 5 Deputy Regional Field Supervisor. He was active in the local Veterans Community and
was a Charter Member; former Quartermaster and former Commander of VFW Post 6008.
Mr. Anderson served sixteen years on the Hewitt City Council, including two years as Mayor.
During his tenure, he helped in development of several transportation projects and in the development
of the Veterans Memorial at Hewitt Park.
Pike was very active in his church, The Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit. Over the years, he
served on the vestry and became a Lay Minister.
Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Marcia Meriwether Anderson of Hewitt.; brother Dr. John
Donald Anderson (Alice) of Bellingham, Wash., daughters Kathryn Anderson Rodenmeyer (Ron)
of Jackson, Miss.; Laura Anderson Green (Neal, Jr.) of Corsicana, Texas; Genevieve “Ginger”
Anderson Shelfer (Mark) of Houston, Texas, and nine grandchildren.
Pike leaves behind a legacy of service to family, the community of Hewitt, and country.