Bishop Robert Anderson was an advocate for American Indians, encouraged women's leadership in the Episcopal Church and supported gay clergy members.
Those who knew the native New Yorker, who served as bishop of Minnesota for 15 years, say his wide, toothy smile and kind demeanor won people over.
"He respected the dignity of every human being," said Bishop Brian Prior, current bishop of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. "He was always on the side of inclusion. He was this beacon of kindness and holiness. He had this infectious smile ... and he warmed up to people very quickly."
Anderson died of cancer May 3 at his Minneapolis home. He was 77.
Anderson graduated from Colgate University in 1953. He served in the Army in Korea before attending Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, where he graduated in 1961.
"There was no guile with him, just generosity of spirit," his wife, Mary Anderson, said. "He loved people. He was a great listener. He certainly wasn't hierarchical in his leadership. ... He was a leader who allowed people to run with their own gifts."
He was elected bishop of Minnesota in 1978 and served until 1993. In that time he made Indian ministry a priority, Prior said. He also made great efforts to include women in all aspects of ministry and supported gay clergy, including the consecration of the Rev. V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church.
While in Minnesota, he was also instrumental in founding the House of Prayer, a spiritual retreat center on the grounds of St. John's Abbey in Collegeville.
After his service in Minnesota, Anderson served as the interim bishop for the Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, Ill., then was called as assisting bishop to the Diocese of Los Angeles, where he served from 1995 until his retirement in 2008.
"The Episcopal Church has lost a great soul. Bishop Anderson prodded and led this church in the midst of many highly significant concerns," U.S. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said. "We will miss his prophetic voice and presence."
Besides his wife, Anderson is survived by three daughters, Martha Anderson, Elizabeth Kempe and Catherine Gregg; a son, Thomas Robert Anderson, and eight grandchildren.
Services have been held.
Rose French • 612-673-4352
