Soldotna Mayor Nels Anderson speaks to a crowd Tuesday March 19, 2013 during a candidate forum hosted by the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce at the Soldotna Sports Center. (Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna Mayor Nels Anderson speaks to a crowd Tuesday March 19, 2013 during a candidate forum hosted by the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce at the Soldotna Sports Center. (Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion)

Community mourns Soldotna Mayor Nels Anderson

Anderson passed away Tuesday morning, according to a shared Facebook post from the mayor’s son.

City of Soldotna Mayor Nels Anderson passed away Tuesday morning, according to a shared Facebook post from the mayor’s son, Nate Anderson.

“Our dad, John Nels Anderson MD, “Doc”, Mayor Anderson passed to the other side this morning,” Nate Anderson wrote in his Facebook post. “I couldn’t be more proud to be his son. He went down fighting to the end. Love you dad. Will never watch a Dodger Game, eat a bowl of chocolate chip mint ice cream, or back bounce Big Eddy without thinking of you. Till we meet again.”

Soldotna City Manager Stephanie Queen said the city’s heart go out to Dr. Anderson’s family.

“I would like to extend my deepest condolences,” Queen said. “Mayor Anderson was beloved in this community, and a true public servant. He worked tirelessly to improve the lives of his friends and neighbors, and we are forever grateful.”

Anderson was elected to serve as mayor in 2017. Anderson 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.

Anderson worked as a doctor and helped deliver many babies in the central peninsula, including Soldotna City Council member Tim Cashman’s son. Cashman said Anderson has been a huge part of his family and life for a long time.

“It’s been an honor for me to be able to work with him,” Cashman said. “I’ve never met a single person who did so much and asked for so little. I wish his family the best.”

Cashman said Soldotna has big shoes to fill.

Tyson Cox, another council member on Soldotna City Council, also said it was an honor to work with Anderson.

“He will be missed not only by me, but by the entire city and area,” Cox said. “He’s been part of this community for a long time. He will be greatly missed.”

The Clarion previously reported that he and his wife traveled to west Africa to go on a mission trip for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2016.

Nels Anderson was also part of the Last Frontier chapter of the International Dutch Oven Society, and over the last decade, hosted several statewide Dutch Oven Championships during Soldotna’s Progress Days.

Stan Steadman, a member of the Last Frontier Dutch Oven Society, said he knew Anderson well.

“He was a wonderful man who reached so many sectors of our community,” Steadman said.

In a Facebook post, the City of Kenai also offered condolences to the mayor’s family.

“Our deepest sympathies are with Mayor Anderson’s Family and the City of Soldotna at this time,” the city’s Facebook post said.

More in News

The Sterling Highway crosses the Kenai River near the Russian River Campground on March 15, 2020, near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Russian River Campground closed for construction

The campground is expected to reopen on June 2

A man fishes in the Kenai River on July 16, 2018, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Peninsula Clarion/file)
Fish and Game announces series of closures and restrictions for king salmon fisheries

Cook Inlet king salmon stocks are experiencing a prolonged period of poor productivity, the department said

Montessori materials sit on shelves in a classroom at Soldotna Montessori Charter School on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Education debate draws state attention to peninsula charter schools

Dunleavy would like to see a shift of authority over charter school approvals from local school districts to the state

The Nikiski Senior Center stands under sunlight in Nikiski, Alaska, on Thursday, March 14, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Support available for community caregivers

Nikiski Senior Center hosts relaunched Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program

Flags flank the entrance to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office on Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Dunleavy vetoes bipartisan education bill

Senate Bill 140 passed the House by a vote of 38-2 and the Senate by a vote of 18-1 last month

The Alaska State Capitol on Friday, March 1, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
House passes bill altering wording of sex crimes against children

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer

Ben Meyer and Brandon Drzazgowski present to the Soldotna and Kenai Chambers of Commerce at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Watershed Forum gives update on streambank restoration

The watershed forum and other organizations are working to repair habitat and mitigate erosion

The entrance to the Kenai Police Department, as seen in Kenai, Alaska, on April 1, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai resident arrested on charges of arson

Kenai Police and Kenai Fire Department responded to a structure fire near Mountain View Elementary

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, speaks in opposition to an executive order that would abolish the Board of Certified Direct-Entry Midwives during a joint legislative session on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O'Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Legislature kills most of Dunleavy’s executive orders in rare joint session

All the proposed orders would have shuffled or eliminated the responsibilities of various state boards

Most Read