Waldemar 'Walter' Anderst

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Waldemar “Walter” Anderst, 90, a resident of Lewiston, passed away peacefully Tuesday, July 5, 2022, with his daughter, Heidi, by his side. He was born in Nikopol, Ukraine, to Emmanuel and Martha Anderst, in 1931.

Walter learned to speak German at home and Russian in school. A few years later, a younger sister named Tamara was born, and she was one of God’s most precious creations. His parents had survived World War I, and as young boy, he would learn firsthand the hunger and pains of war. His experience taught him to have determination, a strong will and to be resourceful. He always stressed the importance of saving for hard times to come.

World War II began, and the family moved from Nikopol to Odessa, Ukraine. There was only one train track from Nikopol to Odessa, and you could see one train after another for miles, causing the family to be stranded on the train for a month. After six to nine months in Odessa, the family traveled by train to Galati, Romania. When they arrived in Galati, there was so much bombing, they were afraid they would get bombed at the railroad station. From Galati, they traveled by train in cattle cars through Yugoslavia, Hungary and stopped at Pozan, Poland. They were always trying to stay behind German lines.

One memory that Walter would never forget was when he was walking past a train with a Russian prisoner aboard, and the prisoner asked him to fill a bag with water from the water dripping off the locomotive. Years later, he wished he would have gone back to see if the other prisoner needed a drink also. He also had compassion for those in need. After the fall of the Soviet Union, he gathered coats and shipped to those in need.

During bombing raids, Walter would watch the skies, counting planes until his mother scolded him to get into the underground cellars. Even in his later years, he would recognize the sound of a plane and search the skies above until he found it.

As a boy, Walter and a friend found a phosphorous bomb while searching the farmland for potatoes. They took turns throwing it inside a cellar before they got it to discharge. He said the villagers came running with their buckets of sand. “Gosh they sure bawled us out,” he recalled.

Walter was 12 years old when he was in Pozan and had to go to the hospital for surgery because he dislocated his arm. When asked how he dislocated his arm, he said, “Who knows? Maybe in a pear tree, when we were stealing pears.” While in Pozan, he became separated from his mother and he had to flee with the hospital. He ended up in West Berlin, while his mother was north of Berlin. They reunited because they each had his dad’s address.

Walter’s dad was captured by the Russians and used as an interpreter because he could speak both German and Russian. His uncle and his father became Russian prisoners and had to mine uranium to earn their freedom. His dad became a Russian citizen, and it would be more than 30 years before Walter and his father would be reunited through the Red Cross. His mother never remarried in hopes of one day seeing her husband again.

Walter immigrated to America from Bremerhaven, Germany Feb. 22, 1952, with his mother and sister. They moved to Mobridge, S.D., where they had relatives and built close friendships with many other German immigrants.

Walter worked on a Cousins Cattle Ranch for a few years to help his mother pay off her mortgage, before going through a trade school. He worked for Boeing as a machinist until they had a large layoff. He then joined the carpenters union and traveled around the Northwest, working on dams being constructed. Walter met Darlene and her family in 1972. They would marry and complete the family with two more children. Even though they decided not to remain married, they remained friends and helped each other out when they could.

Dad loved nature. He bought 20 acres up on Three Bear where he would spend his weekends. He was always taking samples of grass and planted many different species of trees and flowers that can be seen today. During the drier summers, he would water them by hand. He also enjoyed the wildlife and would take leftover food up to feed the birds and animals.

Dad was guarded around most people, but when it came to kids, he let his guard down. He loved all little children, especially his grandchildren who knew him as Opa. They would instantly make him smile. It never failed that on a Sunday night at 9 p.m., he would show up at the door with chocolate or marzipan for the kids. We would ask him to come by earlier, but the next Sunday, the doorbell would ring, we would hear the door open, and a “Hello” in his thick accent. He would also play chess with his grandchildren, watch them sled, buy ice cream, provide the kids pie for dinner, and sing “O Tannenbaum” and “Stille Nacht” at Christmas.

At 83, Walter was standing on the 10th step of a 12-foot fruit ladder when he lost his balance and had to jump off. He landed on his feet, but the impact would fracture his pelvis in several places. He was not happy about being in the hospital or the trumpet (alarm). Dad went through a lot in life, but he always got back up. The fall slowed him down but he always kept going, and he surprised us many more times with his endurance and strong will.

During the last few years of his life, Walter spent time at Brookdale and Guardian Angel. We were told that Dad had just a few weeks to live when we moved him in to Wedgewood Terrace. He liked it so much, he decided to spend 2½ half years there, meeting some of the most kind and loving people that took care of him. To mention just a few, thanks to Abby who showed so much love and shared her Pepsi with him; Jason and his gentle encouragement; Shelley, his nurse on days; and Mary, his nurse on nights; Sasha and Cynthia, who were are full of smiles and even brought their kids in that made his day; Shari, who made sure he got to go on bus rides; Maryland, who is full of love; Cheri and Stan who made sure he was all dressed up to see his granddaughter on her wedding day; and especially Stan who went above and beyond to make sure Dad was well cared for.

Walter is survived by his daughter, Heidi Diana Anderst (Reid Tucker); and two grandchildren, Ellie Tucker and Pete Tucker; son, Waldemar (Andy) Andreas Anderst (Deanna); grandchildren Jenna Messick (Jesse) and Drew Anderst; and one great-grandchild, Eliza Messick; sister, Tamara Anderst; and her son, Klaus Peterly; former spouse, Darlene Anderst; and stepchildren, Linda, Danny, Erin (Susie), Jeff and Becky.

A memorial service is tentatively being planned for September. The time, date and place are to be determined.

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