The community gathered Monday night to remember John ‘Nels’ Anderson, who died Tuesday, Sept. 10 from health complications. A family physician who delivered more than 5,000 babies on the peninsula, Anderson was serving as Soldotna mayor when he died. He was elected to serve as mayor of Soldotna in 2017 and previously served as Soldotna’s mayor from 2013 to 2015. He also served on city council from 2009 to 2012 and on the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Board of Education for about 15 years prior to that. The memorial included a community potluck and a slideshow displaying pictures of Anderson to more than 75 attendees.

Mayor John ‘Nels’ Anderson of Soldotna was remembered after his death during a community memorial service on Monday night, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)