Obituary of Brian-P. Anderson

->Waterford - Brian P. Anderson, given the nicknames "Andy" and "Radar" by some, of Waterford, passed away suddenly on June 18, 2010.Brian was born Oct. 1, 1964, in Attleboro, Mass., the son of Carol L. Anderson and late Wendall B. Anderson.He is survived by his daughter, Tanya A. Anderson and his stepdaughter, Katherine C. Egerton; his sisters, Susan D. Shaye and Deborah L. Patriarca; and his brother, Wendall B. Anderson Jr.He was predeceased by a brother, Peter V. Anderson.In his early life, Brian served as a volunteer firefighter at the North Cumberland Fire Department and later worked full time at the Ashton Fire Department, both in Rhode Island. Following his graduation from Cumberland High School, Brian enlisted into the U.S. Air Force and served as a firefighter overseas. He was stationed Quonset Air Force Base, and was later dispatched to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. At the rank of technical sergeant, he was transferred from the Air Force into the U.S. Army (246/256 EN DET). There he became the first fire chief for the department, which he and his men built from the ground up.During his time serving with the military, Brian was hired by the Town of Waterford as a career firefighter for the Cohanzie Fire Department. There he served until being transferred to the Goshen Fire Department in 2009. Along with firefighting, Brian took part in many fundraisers and activities that he, on many occasions, organized all by himself. He took pride in all he did for his community and paid close attention to the Path of Honor at the Waterford Town Hall, of which he is a founding member.Calling hours will be held 4 to 7 p.m. today Friday at Thomas L. Neilan & Sons East Lyme Funeral Home, 48 Grand St., Niantic. Funeral services will be held 10 a.m. on Saturday at the funeral home followed by burial in Jordan Cemetery, Waterford. Everyone who attends will be invited afterwards to the Goshen Fire Department for a reception to celebrate the life of a great man.Kindly omit flowers in favor of donation to the Tanya A. Anderson Trust Fund, c/o People's United Bank, 716 Broad St. Ext., Waterford CT 06385.To send an online condolence or to view Brian's online video tribute, please visit www.neilanfuneralhome.com