By the family
April 10, 2024: Roger Anderson passed away unexpectedly the morning of March 26. He lived a wonderful life full of family, adventure, and travel.
He began his journey in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, spending summers at the family camp in Southhold. A precocious child, he skipped a few grades and graduated from the prestigious Brooklyn Tech. He initially considered graphic design, until a cousin steered Roger to Princeton where he majored in history. His inability to master French spelling almost derailed his academic career, but summer classes put him back on track. He graduated with honors, writing a thesis on the early development of New York City.
After graduation, he won a Fulbright scholarship to study in Sweden where he learned Swedish and met his future bride, Kristina. After returning to NY, he considered his options and was once again steered back to rigorous academic pursuits. He moved to New Haven to study at Yale Law. After graduation, he and Kristina got married. His work for Chase brought them to Milan, Italy where they learned Italian, developed a love of coffee, and fine Tuscan wines, and skiing in the Alps. He loved touring vineyards in his red Alfa Romeo convertible.
They also brought their first son, Niklas, into the world. After five tremendous years in Milan, they moved to Tehran, Iran for further adventures and a second son - Christopher. Iran, pre-revolution was still a chaotic adventure and he and Kristina enjoyed learning some Farsi and buying a large number of carpets. After Iran, they headed north to wonderful Copenhagen. The family loved living in Denmark. Eventually, he convinced the Danish bank, Privatbanken, to bring the family to New York.
They settled in the village of Bronxville. Roger managed Privatbanken’s U.S. operations for nearly ten years before setting off on his own. During his time in New York he was active in the American Scandinavian Foundation, served on the board of the Martha Graham Dance Company, became an active tennis and squash player at the Bronxville Field Club, enjoyed scuba diving with Niklas and Christopher, and completed several New York City Marathons.
In 2000 he experienced some medical issues that lead him to take a step back. He continued to support a start-up company mitigating the environmental impacts of mining. He also served as Honorary Consul General to the Republic of Latvia. He remained a very active member of the Yale Club where he played bridge at every opportunity. He and Kristina eventually returned to Denmark where he continued advising start-up companies.
He lived a full and rich life, setting a high standard and sharing a lot of love. He loved being a father and grandfather. Some of his favorite adventures were traveling to Tuscany and Argentina, seeing hammerhead sharks and octopus during a night scuba dive, going to countless great concerts in NYC, and visiting family across the globe. For all that he accomplished professionally, he will be remembered most of all as a loving father and grandfather.
He is survived by his wife, Kristina, his sons, Niklas and Christopher, his step-daughter Mina, his sister Linda, and his two grand daughters Maya and Lyla. The family plans to organize a memorial in NY next month.