Larry Sulgrove Anderson

Larry Sulgrove Anderson, 79, died on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020 with his wife and daughter at his side in their Battle Creek home. Larry was born March 6, 1941 in Chicago, Ill. to Earl D. and Mary Lucille (Sulgrove) Anderson.

Larry graduated from Grosse Ile High School in 1959, where he began a life-long friendship with a Japanese exchange student, Yoshiko. He then earned his BA in Political Science from Michigan State University. He served in Korea as a 2nd Lt. in the Army Medical Corps in the Vietnam era and developed a love of Asian cultures. He then received his MA in Hospital and Health Administration from the University of Iowa.

In 1967, Larry married Susan Ann Lorimer of Birmingham, Mich. They met on a double date at Michigan State University, where Larry was a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity. They settled in Ann Arbor, where they had two children and Larry served for 13 years as senior associate administrator at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. In 1982, Larry became executive vice president of Leila Hospital and was integral to the merger between Leila and Community Hospitals into Battle Creek Health System.

Larry was tasked by the merging hospitals and City Manager to form a new non-profit ambulance service, completed at the beginning of 1983. He helped develop a county-wide Medical Control Authority and a training program for paramedics at Kellogg Community College. In 1987, LifeCare Ambulance was licensed as Advanced Life Support, the highest licensing level in Michigan. Larry served as LifeCare CEO and board president for several years, and also was on the American Ambulance Association board for two terms. In later years, he operated Anderson & Associates EMS, which addressed medical transportation issues regionally, as well as in Indonesia and Alaska.

Larry spoke passionately about the effect polio had on his family – his grandfather was a paraplegic due to the disease, operating a farm by using adaptive technology; and his cousin had a severe case and was in an iron lung. Stricken with a mild case of polio himself, Larry was dedicated to the cause of eradicating the disease through his volunteerism with Rotary. He was a member for 33 years, serving as its president in 2016 for the Battle Creek Rotary club's centennial year celebration. He served on many committees for the Battle Creek Community Foundation and was the chair and interim director of the Calhoun County Public Health Board for a decade. In 2017, Larry was recognized for a lifetime of healthcare achievement as the recipient of the Dale G. Griffin Healthcare Leadership Award; he was the first administrator to receive the accolade.

An avid birder and canoeist, Larry spent much of his free time in nature with Susan. They partnered to make a beautiful landscape surrounding their home – Larry happily on his riding mower and Susan in the gardens. Together, they planted over 5000 trees. He also enjoyed visiting friends in the UP each year, sampling Scotch with his pals, and cheering on the Spartans with the Calhoun County MSU Club.

Larry is survived by his wife, Susan; son, Steven (Elizabeth) Anderson of Atlanta, Georgia; daughter, Jill Anderson of Battle Creek; and grandchildren, Agnes Van Anderson and George Anderson Pyatt; sisters Miriam (David) Shannon and Karen (Art) West; and several nieces and nephews. Several close friends are considered uncles by his children.

Military honors will be presented Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020 at Fort Custer National Cemetery. A website, www.larry-s-anderson.com, is a gathering place where memories and photos can be shared during the pandemic, and memorial contributions can be directed to LifeCare. Arrangements by Farley Estes Dowdle Funeral Home & Cremation Care. Though his death was not related to Covid-19, Larry and his family remind our community to learn from the lessons of polio as we face this pandemic.

The service will be livestreamed and may be viewed at https://vimeo.com/473407247 or you may also view it on the Farley Estes & Dowdle Funeral Home Facebook page. Due to the COVID-19 virus, a gathering will be held later when it is safe to be together and celebrate his life.