Richard Thomas Anderson was born in 1937 to Axel Anderson and Mildred Anderson (née Bennett) of Owatonna. After graduating from Owatonna High School, he earned his engineering degree at the University of Minnesota and joined the Owatonna Tool Company, where he worked as a design engineer for seventeen years. During that time, he participated in Little Theatre of Owatonna productions and served as lead engineer in the construction of the Municipal Golf Course (now Brooktree). Next, Richard  turned his talents and love of music toward luthiery, crafting folk harps in Estes Park, Colorado under the name Woodsong and spending many weekends promoting them at Renaissance fairs in Colorado and Minnesota. In 1993, he returned to Owatonna and led a team at Born Again Restorations (under the late R.W. "Buzz" Kaplan), creating replicas of antique aircraft. Dick was a “maker,” long before that word became fashionable.

A lifelong music lover, Anderson learned to play accordion, guitar, folk harp, and piano. He also enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was known, and will be remembered, as a gifted craftsman and designer who liked nothing more than taking on new projects and solving new problems.

He is survived by his wife, Caroline; sons Kirk, Erik, and Leif; stepdaughter Tammy;  grandchildren Axel, Elliot, Jack, Simon, Alexandra, and Cooper; and step-grandchildren Mackayla and Logan.

Memorials are requested in his honor to the Washburn Center, Minneapolis, supporting children’s mental health, washburn.org; or the Owatonna Arts Center, oacarts.org.