LeRoy Anderson Jr., Rehoboth Art League member
LeRoy “Roy” Anderson Jr., 91, passed away peacefully in Lewes Saturday, May 27, 2023, with his dear friends Bob Howard and Robert Kovalcik by his side. He was born in Richmond, Va., the only son of Mary and Roy Anderson. He was preceded in death by his life partner of 50 years, Ed Conroy.
Roy was a graduate of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., and the University of Alabama, where he received a master of applied arts degree. While there, he worked in the drama department as a set designer.
Roy was drafted into the Army Medical Corps in 1954, where he trained as an occupational therapist at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. He was then assigned to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he worked with soldiers returning from the Korean War. Roy said that working with the wounded warriors was the most rewarding experience of his life.
Roy made his home in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., after four years of service in the U.S. Army. He met Ed in Georgetown, where they both attended American University in pursuit of graduate degrees in education. Roy became head of the art department at a local high school and was a founding member of the Kennedy Center, where he and Ed were active in the arts for many years.
Roy also sold real estate, and owned an art and design studio. In the early ‘70s, Roy and Ed bought a second home in Rehoboth Beach. Soon after moving to Rehoboth, they purchased a business property on Baltimore Avenue, known today as the Wooden Indian, still a vibrant specialty shop. Roy and Ed spent a few months every year in London, buying for their shop and enjoying museums, art galleries and theater.
Roy and Ed spent their retirement traveling the world. They were longtime members of the Rehoboth Art League and were privileged to know Mrs. Corkran, its founder. Roy exhibited his artwork, served on the board, and was a friend and student of Howard Schroeder. One of his prize possessions is a painting in shades of blue of the old Customs House on the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, June 9, at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 200 Second St., Lewes. Robert Kovalcik, Bob Howard, and family will be greeting friends at the church beginning at 10 a.m. Interment will be private. A Celebration of Life luncheon will follow in Lewes.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Parsell Funeral Homes and Crematorium, Atkins-Lodge Chapel, Lewes.
Donations are welcome in memory of Roy Anderson to Rehoboth Art League, 12 Dodds Lane, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971, 302-227-8408, Ext. 204; or Brandywine Valley SPCA, 22918 DuPont Blvd., Georgetown, DE 19947.
Visit Roy’s Life Memorial webpage and sign his virtual guestbook at parsellfuneralhomes.com.
