Damon J. Anderson, 47, was passionate about history and old buildings, and finding ways to improve the community in which he lived and worked.
Through his work as a county official and community activist, Mr. Anderson touched the lives of thousands of people.
He didn’t seek the limelight, friends said, but was content to work behind the scenes.
“He never was one who wanted a lot of credit for what he did,” said Randy Tetzlaff, Port Washington’s director of planning and development and a friend of Mr. Anderson. “He liked to see things get done — the end product is what mattered to Damon.”
Mr. Anderson, who served as Ozaukee County’s land information coordinator and employee relations coordinator, died of an undetermined ailment while vacationing on Washington Island Wednesday, Aug. 8.
Mr. Anderson’s many accomplishments included a survey of the city’s historic buildings and the establishment of Port Washington’s downtown as a national historic district.
“He was the spirit of it,” Mr. Tetzlaff said. “Damon did all the homework for the city. All we had to do was approve it.”
He helped establish the Port Washington Historic Walking Tour and was a member of the Franklin Streetscaping Committee, which is planning improvements to beautify the downtown when the street is rebuilt next year. He was also a member of the committee looking at ways to reuse the We Energies coal dock.
A former president and treasurer of the Port Washington Historical Society, Mr. Anderson was active in the effort to obtain the historic Light Station from the federal government and convert it into a museum.
He helped create a DVD of the city’s history for the Historical Society that includes segments from a 1935 film of the city’s centennial celebration and a 1959 economic-development film, as well as old photos and postcards.
Most recently, he worked with an ad-hoc committee of the Historical Society that is forging a relationship with the Luxembourg American Cultural Society.
“He is just a force that will be greatly missed,” Historical Society President Geri Zehren said. “You could just feel his energy. He had a way to enthuse people about projects.”
Mr. Anderson was also a key member and former treasurer of the Port Washington Maritime Experience Project, which worked for many years to establish a maritime museum in the city. Although the group’s efforts have flagged, Mr. Anderson kept the organization alive so it can be reinvigorated in the future, Mr. Tetzlaff said.
Mr. Anderson, who earned a master’s degree in geography from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, worked for several years as a cartographer for private firms before being hired in 1993 as the land information coordinator, said Ozaukee County Register of Deeds Ron Voigt, who was his boss and friend.
“Geographical information systems was a relatively new venture, and Damon got in on the ground floor,” he said. “He really helped direct the development of land information systems in the state.”
He was chairman of the Wisconsin Land Officers Network and a member and past board member of the Wisconsin Land Information Association. He earned distinguished service awards from the association in 2000 and 2002.
He was a mentor as well, hiring and training interns in his field in conjunction with Workforce 2010.
Mr. Anderson was the chief steward for Local 35 of the Office and Professional Employees International Union until he moved into a management position. He then became the county employee relations coordinator.
“He had an ability to smooth things out between the two (management and workers),” Mr. Voigt said. “He understood both sides.”
Mr. Anderson received the Ozaukee County Outstanding Employee Award in
1996 and a congratulatory resolution from the County Board for his contributions to the 2001 Courthouse Centennial Jubilee.
Mr. Anderson was an avid bicyclist and walker who provided geographical information vital to establishing the Ozaukee Interurban Trail.
He was also a former board member and current treasurer of the Ozaukee County 4-H Foundation.
“He filled up his life,” Mr. Voigt said. “And in the process, he filled up the lives of others.”
Mr. Anderson was a native of St. Charles, Ill., born on May 21, 1960, to Gordon and Katherine Hacquebord Anderson.
He met Beatriz Cabrera when she was an AFS student from Mexico at Whitefish Bay High School. They dated but lost touch after she returned home. A decade later, he contacted her again and they rekindled their relationship.
On Dec. 26, 1992, the couple were married in Oaxaca, Mexico.
“He was so full of life,” his wife said. “He was very curious. He was a walking encyclopedia. He loved to share what he knew.”
In college, Mr. Anderson’s love of history took him on an expedition to Belize and Mexico with a group searching for the exact place Christopher Columbus came ashore.
While the couple was dating, Mr. Anderson visited Mexico and came to appreciate the historic structures there, his wife said.
“He saw that they were very valuable, very important,” Mrs. Anderson said. After the couple settled in Port Washington, her husband turned that appreciation into action, because he didn’t want the city to lose its historic buildings.
Mr. Anderson enjoyed boating, fishing, scuba diving and restoring old cars, among them a 1940 Plymouth and a 1968 Galaxy convertible. He was also a handyman who especially enjoyed carpentry.
Mr. Anderson is survived by his wife Beatriz of Port Washington; children Diego and Alexandria, both at home; mother Katherine Anderson of Port Washington; and brother Gordon (Katie Schendel) of Amherst, Mass.
He was preceded in death by his father in 1990.
A prayer and memorial service for Mr. Anderson will be held at 7 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 20, at St. Peter of Alcantara Catholic Church in Port Washington. Father Tom Lijewski will officiate.
Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday at the church.
A fellowship time will follow the service.
Mr. Anderson’s body was cremated and his ashes will be interred on Washington Island.
In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to the Port Washington Historical Society or the Diego and Alexandria Anderson College Fund in care of Port Washington State Bank.
Eernisse Funeral Home in Port Washington and Casperson Funeral Home in Sister Bay assisted the family.