Arden Andrew Anderson, 89, of Pensacola, FL passed away Friday, May 19, 2017.

He was born January 2, 1928 to Arden N. Anderson and Susan McNamee Anderson of Chicago. He was the eldest of three children, the other two of whom were twins, Catherine and Bill. Although their father did not graduate from high school, he was an adept builder and moved from Chicago to Pensacola to work on the construction of the Pensacola Naval Station. Arden attended Sacred Heart where he was able to skip a grade, and then attended Pensacola Catholic High. He graduated from there at the age of 17 and in the middle of World War II. He believed he would be drafted, so he decided to enlist in the Navy instead. While stationed in San Diego as a quartermaster, the war ended, and as soon as he was eligible, he left and headed to Florida State University. There he studied geology and graduated in 1952 and was proud to be a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. He returned to Pensacola and worked for American Metal Company, and then for Conoco in Egypt where he convinced the pilot to teach him to fly the company' s helicopter "just in case." He was evacuated about two years later because of war and decided to head back to Pensacola and work for himself. He was able to do just that for nearly 50 years.

Arden called himself "oilfield trash." In good times, he would drill wildcats, and in the lean years, he would take over or buy cheaply, abandoned wells and nurse them back to health. His wells were scattered all over the southeast, but primarily in Mississippi and Alabama. With his wife Kay and daughters, Duchess and Susan, in Pensacola, he decided to learn to fly so that he wouldn't be on the road so much checking on his interests. He became a private pilot and amassed nearly 9,000 flight hours before he had to retire his wings.

Arden and Kay loved to travel, and their children often benefited from their interest in other cultures. Whether it was flying his plane island-hopping the Caribbean Isles, driving through Europe, or cruising the Greek Isles, Arden had a contagious zest for life and laughter. They also both loved the arts, and Kay was much involved with the Pensacola Little Theatre as an on-stage presence. In the 70s, the Theatre was in need of moving to a more permanent structure, and they donated money to help that cause. Arden also loved classical music and served as President of the Pensacola Symphony. He was also a court member of the Fiesta of Five Flags.

After a period of good fortune in the 1980s, Arden and Kay decided they wanted to invest in the decaying downtown Pensacola. They travelled up and down the East Coast looking at what smaller towns were doing with their waterfront areas. They returned and purchased four warehouses that they turned into New World Landing. Arden was active in the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce and served on the Downtown Improvement Board. Much like a fish out of water, the geologist-turned-developer struggled to make money with an inn, restaurant and meeting hall. Kay was suffering from cancer and died in 1994, and Arden soon returned to his geologic roots. He moved to Lafayette, LA and once again entered the oil patch. There, too, he was a patron of the arts contributing to the Acadian Symphony. He was a member of Reds where he played tennis twice a week into his mid-80s. He was also a member of the Society of Independent Professional Earth Sciences and the Lafayette Geological Society. He was also a volunteer with Hospice in Lafayette, an organization that along with Baptist Hospital made his last weeks on earth comfortable, clean and cared for in Pensacola.

Preceding him in death was his wife of 31 years Kathleen "Kay," and his son, Bobby; brother, Bill; his parents, Arden and Susan; and brother-in-law, Dick.

His is survived by his daughter, Duchess Bongiovi (Joe), granddaughter Jennifer (Kevin) and grandson Clint (Peng) and daughter Susan Nitterauer (Jim), grandsons Cole and Connor, sister Catherine Markey, niece Megan Mulva (Stephen), nephews Mike (Kim), Chris (Kerri) and Pat (Cynthia).

Visitation will be held 5-7pm Friday, May 26, 2017 at Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel. Funeral Service will be held 10:00am Saturday, May 27, 2017 at Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel with Pastor Joe Driver of Echo Life Church officiating. Private Family Committal will be held at Bayview Memorial Park.