Clifford Leroy Anderson

Clifford "Cliff" Anderson, 78, passed away at 12:55 a.m. on Sunday, August 30, 2026, after facing several serious health complications in the final months of his life. He died just eight weeks after the loss of his wife, Connie Lou (Malm) Anderson, who passed away on July 6, 2026. Cliff was born February 14, 1948, the son of Arthur Anton Anderson and Marjorie "Marge" (Nyberg) Meld. Cliff's early life was not an easy one. He faced hardships as a child that could have left him angry or bitter, but that was not the path he chose. Instead, he became a man who valued kindness, respect, and giving people a place where they belonged. Cliff cared deeply for the people in his life: his mother and sister, his wife Connie, his children and especially his grandchildren. He was remarkably forgiving when people made mistakes. He accepted that people were different and kept moving forward. Cliff always said that everyone needs help at some point in their life; what that help looks like is different for everyone, and it comes at different times. And Cliff was always there to help. Family, to Cliff, wasn't defined only by blood. Ours was complicated at times, as families often are, with different personalities, histories, and a few misfits along the way. Cliff didn't care much about any of that. If you were his, you were his. He had a way of pulling people together and making them family. His mother, Marge, remembers that as a little boy Cliff loved playing with his little green Army men. It's a small memory of the boy he was, made especially fitting by the path his life would later take. As a young man, Cliff served his country in the United States Army, attaining the rank of Sergeant. The responsibility, independence, and willingness to figure things out for himself stayed with him throughout his life. Cliff spent more than 52+ years working at EM (Electric Machinery), an extraordinary tenure that became a significant part of his life. He had the mind and curiosity of an electrical engineer but was happiest when he could get his hands on something and do the work. At EM, that often meant working with enormous motors and generators, some nearly the size of a large garage. He understood how these machines worked, how their pieces fit together, and how to troubleshoot them when something wasn't right. He earned the respect of many people during his decades at EM and built friendships that lasted well beyond the work itself. That same curiosity followed him home, only the projects usually got a little smaller. Long before solar power and sustainable energy became commonplace, Cliff was fascinated by both. He read Home Power and Mother Earth News, watched This Old House, experimented with solar panels, batteries, electronics and wiring, and dreamed of starting his own solar company, an idea he called ASR, Anderson Solar Research. Those initials found their way onto many of the things he tinkered with over the years. For Cliff, it wasn't just something interesting to read about; he tried to live what he believed. He believed in wasting less, making things last, being self-sufficient, and finding better ways to use energy. Maybe nothing represented that better than his 2007 Toyota Prius. Cliff drove that old Prius right up until the end, and as long as it kept going, he saw very little reason why he shouldn't keep going with it. He passed that curiosity on to his son Tim and his grandsons, along with his belief in being self-sufficient and prepared. Cliff loved imagining what a family could accomplish if everyone brought their own skills together. Sometimes that included joking about building a place where everyone could survive the next great disaster, but underneath the humor was something very Cliff: learn how things work, take care of yourself, and take care of your family. Cliff loved camping and sitting around a campfire with his family and grandchildren. He also loved gardening, especially his irises. They were his favorite, and each year he looked forward to seeing what would come back, what would bloom, and, like most things Cliff enjoyed, what he could do with them next. He is survived by his mother, Marjorie "Marge" (Nyberg) Meld, age 100; his sister, Mary Ellen Anderson; his son, Tim (Lori) Nyberg and their sons, Dakota and Owen Nyberg; his stepdaughter, Teresa (Jesse) Whipps and their children, Billy Nyberg, Danny Whipps, Katie Whipps, and Jessica Whipps; his great-grandchildren, Allyssa and Oliver Nyberg; and extended family and friends. Cliff was preceded in death by his father, Arthur Anton Anderson; his wife, Connie Lou (Malm) Anderson; his sister, Arlene Mildred Anderson; and his brother, Paul Howard Amundson. Cliff's death came just eight weeks after Connie's. In a matter of weeks, a family lost both people at the center of a home and a life they had built together over decades. What Cliff leaves behind is found in the people he taught to figure things out, forgive mistakes, help someone when they need it, and take care of one another. It's there in a solar panel, a battery, a garden, a campfire, or some strange little gizmo that makes someone wonder what they could build with it. And somewhere in all of that, Anderson Solar Research carries on. Cliff wasn't much for planning things like funerals or celebrations of life. Truthfully, he probably preferred not to think about them at all. He wasn't particularly a church-going man either. But Cliff spent a lifetime wanting to be loved and building a family around him, so the people who loved him will gather to make sure he knows just how much he mattered. A joint Celebration of Life for Cliff and his wife, Connie, will be held at Family of God Church in Brooklyn Park. For now, our families need a little time before we set the date and time. We will share those details when they are available. We'll share some stories, probably a few laughs, and celebrate the life they built and the family they leave behind. Visit Connie Lou Anderson's memorial page to share a memory or send condolences to the family, read the obituary, and find the upcoming events. https://www.washburn-mcreavy.com/obituaries/connie-anderson-11/ www.washburn-mcreavy.com Davies Chapel 612-377-2203

Clifford Leroy Anderson

February 14, 1948 - August 30, 2026

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