Charles "Skip" Christian Andersen

Charles Christian Andersen (Skip) September 18, 1934 - March 9, 2025

At 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 18, 1934 the labor and delivery nurse at St. Luke’s Hospital in Boise presented Charles Christian Andersen to his parents, Flora Mae and Ellis Alpha Andersen. As she placed him in his mother’s arms she said, “Here’s your little Skipper!”… and from that point forward our Dad was known as Skip.

Skip (Dad) had two sisters, Darlene and Nancy and grew up in Boise, Idaho where he attended Washington Elementary, North Junior High School and Boise High School.

When he was 16 years old, while playing tennis at 23rd Street Park, Dad spotted our mom, Hope, walking by. That was the beginning of a 3-year courtship and almost 72 years of marriage. During that time Skip was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. The things that brought him the greatest joy were his family, his pets, and anything that had wheels and an engine! He was an artist, a craftsman, and a mechanical whiz.

If there was a time when we couldn’t locate Dad in the house, we knew to go immediately to the garage where he would be found doing woodworking projects, planning inventions, building or fixing mechanical contraptions, or doing acid tests to determine if the rocks and minerals he had collected contained precious metals.

Dad loved his home and his at-home hobbies and rarely ventured too far away from his humble abode. When he and Mom did have an occasional getaway, they often opted to move body and soul on the two wheels of their motorcycle. It was in this way that they explored Northern Idaho along the Clearwater River, Canada, Northern California and other destinations too numerous to name. They had fun and in spite of having aches and pains after the long rides, they always looked forward to their next adventure.

Dad also enjoyed the shorter away-from-home excursions that took him to football and soccer fields, basketball courts, and recital halls where he could watch his grandchildren play sports, dance, and play piano or violin. He was an enthusiastic, proud grandpa.

During his working career, Dad was a Sergeant in the Idaho National Guard for 7 years, and he worked at the Idaho Surveying and Rating Bureau for 39 years. After retiring, he had many good years of taking life at a slower pace and enjoying his hobbies and his family and friends.

Dad faced challenges in his later years with Alzheimer’s but will always be remembered for his kindness and devotion as a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and lover of feathered and furry friends.

Skip is survived by Hope, his wife of 71 years, daughters Michelle and Christine and their husbands Gunner and Greg. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Scooter, Derik, Tiffany, Timia, John, Dana, and Ellie, and 4 great-grandchildren, Fletcher, Finn, Hunter and Oliver.

Our dad was ever grateful for the people who impacted his life. If he were here today we know he would want to express gratitude to his family for their constant love and support. He would want to give special thanks to our mom, Hope, for the the love and patience she showed to him and the countless ways she helped him navigate the last few years of his journey. He would want to show his sincere appreciation to his grandson, Duston (Scooter) for stepping in and helping when difficult situations arose. And finally, Dad would want to personally thank Dr. Greg Johnson and the team of St. Luke’s Hospice caregivers who supported our family and enabled our dad to face end-of-life challenges with peace and dignity.

We will be celebrating our Dad’s life with a small family gathering later this spring.