Eric Andersen June 4, 2025
In the early evening on June 4th, surrounded by loved ones, Eric Andersen (71) of Barboursville, VA passed away peacefully in his bed at home after a brief illness.
Eric entered the world with his twin brother Ed at Abington Hospital in PA on September 4th, 1953, the first children of Edward William and Edna Andersen. Ed beat Eric out of the womb by seven minutes — about the longest they were ever apart. Younger brother Marc Andersen of Raleigh, NC joined the family five years later. “The boys” were an inseparable trio. Eric was a constant pal to Ed, a loving mentor to Marc, and a positive influence on others due to his industriousness and ingenuity.
As a little boy in his father’s garage on East Valley Green Road in Flourtown, PA, Eric began to tinker and never stopped. When he saw a hard job, he tried to make it easy. As a kid, Eric attached hedge clippers to a pole via a wire mechanism so Edna wouldn’t have to kneel or strain when edging the yard. Eric’s natural inventive instinct inspired him to excel academically and in many mechanical pursuits. He wrought iron into fine tables, carved duck decoys, machined a whole-pig rotisserie, and innumerable other projects, but his lifelong pursuit was antique cars: buying them, building them, and eventually racing them.
At just 11 years old, Eric and Ed convinced their uncle Freddie Unger to take them to their first Hershey car show, along with Zenith carburetors they had fixed up to sell. Not even old enough to drive, Ed and Eric restored a 1928 Model A Ford. Neighbors complained to Edna when the twins drove the Model A around using only its starter motor. As students at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School (Class of ‘71), Eric and Eddie were already proficient, known in the local car community for rebuilding and selling VW engines together. The twins bought and sold dozens upon dozens of cars, trading up to Trans Ams, Shelby Cobras, Maseratis, and Mercedes.
Eric’s hard work and intellect led him (and then Ed) to the University of Virginia in 1972. The twins studied intermittently between business ventures, graduating with degrees in mechanical engineering (Class of ‘79). In the garage of their first home at 804 St. James Circle, a beloved party spot nicknamed “The Pleasure Palace”, Eddie and Eric built a prototype T-shirt printing machine that was the cutting edge of the field at that time. Thus Antec Screen Printing Equipment was born. Antec and its ventures brought them success and legacy for the next four decades until the twins officially retired on July 1st, 2018.
Eric was lucky enough to spot Gayle Schaad Andersen at Random Row in 1986. For their first date, Eric invited Gayle to join him and his friends for a Snappy River Tour down the New River in WV. Gayle came ready with her own love of water. Their shared sense of adventure sparked a bond that would last far beyond their 38 years of marriage. Together they would perfect the RV vacation, the modular container garden, and countless other shared projects.
In his 50s, Eric found his second greatest love: Indy 500 racing cars from the 1920s and 30s. Eric became an expert historian of the hobby, reinventing complex drivetrains that had been lost since the 1930s. Eventually Eric’s Indy car collection included a 1931 Martz special, a 1930 Chrysler, and a 1932 Studebaker, all of which he raced at the Milwaukee Mile, the Michigan International Raceway, and the Indianapolis 500 track. Eric was a fixture at car shows in Hershey, PA and race events in Milwaukee, WI, wowing spectators at the yearly Miller Meet.
Eric loved to cook. His hand-rolled sushi, succulent rib roasts, brick-weighted Swedish gravlax, and Peking ducks were meals fit for a king. Great food and great friends combined at great parties at the twins’ “Anderville” compound, which they built in 1984. Eric was a gracious host on Oktoberfests for brats on the grill, Kentucky Derby Parties where the betting was heavy, pool parties, pig roasts, and many an intimate family dinner.
Eric crafted an enviable life full of freedom and adventure. He worked only for himself, upholding a pledge he made as a young boy to never have to work for anyone else. He broke records in skydiving, whitewater rafted, and won fishing tournaments with his friends as “The Telecasters” of the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club. He would travel far to connect with family, including weekend visits to Germany when Marc was earning his doctorate in Marburg. Eric brought his inventions to trade shows all over the country, made business deals in the Soviet Union, took his wife Gayle to Greece to eat what they hoped was lamb, and explored many of this country’s national parks, which he loved dearly.
But Eric’s favorite travel destinations were the ones he returned to over and over again: to soak in the Warm Mineral Springs of Florida, eat tacos in Key West, kayak the mangroves of lesser known Keys, camp in Huntington Beach State Park, cook lobsters in Camden, fish at the family beach house in Hatteras, NC, and commune with fellow enthusiasts at annual auto events, especially the Hershey Car Show and the Miller Meet at the Milwaukee Mile racetrack.
Eric’s legacy lives on in his twin brother’s children. Mariel and Buddy grew up in the home next door to their Uncle Eric and Aunt Gayle in “Anderville”, and still cannot imagine a world without him to consult and hang out with. Uncle Eric, christened “Uncle Ekie” by Mariel as a toddler, was everyone’s favorite uncle, hosting Mariel and Buddy’s friends for birthday parties, pool parties, beach trips, and so many racks of ribs out on the deck.
Eric was a devoted son. Edna will miss his frequent visits, consistent care packages, steady stream of captioned photos to her PixStar digital frame, and his phone calls between 5 and 6 o’clock every day during cocktail hour. Ed will miss his best friend and co-adventurer of seven decades. Marc will miss their regular phone calls and shared libations, and will treasure memories from the “party years” when they all lived together at 804. Mariel will miss the warmth and humor with which they disagreed on politics and agreed on everything else. Buddy wishes for one more drop-in visit, one more shared project, one more piece of advice, but is filled to the brim after 30 years of Eric’s love.
Eric is survived by his wife of 38 years, Gayle Schaad Andersen (68), mother Edna (98), twin brother Ed (71), younger brother Marc (66) and wife Birgit (62), niece and nephew Mariel (30) and Buddy (29), and many cousins, friends, and associates in whose hearts Eric will live forever.
Eric is predeceased by his father Ed, uncles Alfred and Walter Mueller, his Tante Marguerite, and finally will get to meet his mother-in-law Naomi Marie Schaad. Eric will be reunited with many beloved friends who took this journey in years before — Alex Barnes, Rick Mayo, Dana Silecchia, Don Sims, George Watson, Chris Walters, Terry McDuffy (“Snappy”), and many more.
A celebration of life will be held sometime in the future. Contact any Andersen for more details. We welcome the sharing of condolences and fond memories, as well as the excuse to connect with family and old friends.
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