Obituary of Herluf Flemming Andersen

Herluf Andersen, 95, of Olympia, passed away peacefully on September 10, 2017, at his residence at Quality Care Adult Family Home in Lacey. He will be greatly missed by his daughters, Greta Rosado, of Olympia, and Helen Andersen, of Seattle, his 3 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Else in 1998. Herluf was born in Aarhus, Denmark, on April 2, 1922, and grew up in Roskilde. He was studying in Copenhagen to become a CPA when WW2 began, and in 1940 Denmark came under German occupation. Herluf joined the resistance movement, smuggling weapons and transporting Danish Jews to safety in Sweden. In 1943 he had to escape to Sweden for his own safety until peace was declared in 1945. After the war, he finished his studies, and spent time sailing on his boat Roskilde Fjord with his brother Borge, where they designed a sail that they became known for at the time. In 1948 he immigrated to Long beach, California. He went back to Denmark in 1952 where he met his future wife, Else. She went to the US in 1956 as an au-pair on the East Coast, and Herluf returned to California. After corresponding some years they married in Las Vegas in 1958. Herluf called America “the land with space to dream” and never looked back again. They settled in Los Angeles where their daughters were born, and Herluf worked as an accountant for a Danish-owned dairy. There he began experimenting with the earliest versions of computers and data processing machines to automate inventory and accounting systems. After visiting relatives in Seattle in 1967, Herluf and Else decided that the Pacific Northwest “looked more like home” and moved to Olympia in 1968. Herluf worked for the State of Washington in several agencies as a data processor and systems analyst, retiring from the Administrator for the Courts in 1988. In his retirement years and after his wife died, Herluf spent time with his children and grandchildren where his home was always open. He became active in the Danish Brotherhood of Olympia and Tacoma. He travelled often to Denmark to visit family, and took many trips with his brother and sister-in-law and mutual friends to Europe and Asia. He was involved the Japanese Sister City Association of Olympia and visited Japan many times. Herluf was a devoted and loving father, grandfather, uncle, and friend. He was always willing to help others and was a true gentleman. He had a great sense of humor and positive outlook. He had an awe for science and the natural world, and a deep sense of gratitude for the everyday things. Services have been held. Donations may be made in Herluf’s name to Senior Services for South Sound, 222 Columbia St NW, Olympia 98501. Those wishing to sign his guestbook may do so at mccombwagner.com.