Lafayette F. "Lafe" Anderson Jr.

Hastings resident Lafayette F. “Lafe” Anderson Jr., 93, passed away Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at Mary Lanning Healthcare, Hastings, NE. Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday, March 17, at Butler Volland Chapel in Hastings. Burial will be at Parkview Cemetery in Hastings. Visitation will be 1-5 p.m. with the family present 3-5 p.m. Sunday, March 16, and one hour before the service at the funeral home. Memorials may be given to the Hastings Community Foundation. The service will be live-streamed on Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home’s website. To view the service, go to Lafe’s obituary and click the play button shown towards the bottom of the page.

Lafayette Franklin Anderson Jr., was born on April 5, 1931, in Park City, Utah, to Rhoda Lucille Workman and Lafayette Franklin Anderson Sr. Lafe was the oldest of seven children. Lafe's father (Lafayette Franklin Anderson Sr.) was a civilian attorney for the military, so they moved around.

When Lafe was in 9th grade, they lived in Harvard, Nebraska. He wanted to play football, but they wouldn't let him play when he attended the first practice because he didn't have football cleats. He worked hard at his job, saving enough money by the following year to buy cleats so he could play. He liked to brag to his children and their friends that he played football for Harvard!

Lafe's father was stationed at the naval base in Hastings, Nebraska, when Lafe was in High school, and that's where he met his sweetheart, Betty Alice Kazebeer. Betty worked at the Rivoli theater behind the popcorn counter. She was a year younger than Lafe, and she was very excited when he finally asked her out on a date because he had access to the Navy Depot swimming pool, which was a huge thing then!

Lafe Graduated from Hastings High School in 1949 and attended Hastings College. While in college, he worked three jobs: one for Harry Hartwig's accounting office and, during his senior year, for Morrison Quirk Grain Corporation.

Lafe and Betty were married on August 18, 1950, the summer after Betty graduated. Regarding Lafe's decision to marry, Lafe's father said, "Well, Lafe, the only concern I have is if you get married now, you will never finish college.

Lafe was determined to prove his father wrong! He graduated from Hastings College in 1954 and began full-time employment with Morrison Quirk Grain Corporation.

Lafe and Betty made their home in Hastings and loved the people here. Lafe was the founder of the Hastings Community Foundation. In 1987, Lafe gathered several other local businessmen in Hastings to work with him to form the Foundation. Now, 38 years later, the 501(c) (3) Foundation has assets of over 18 million dollars and has donated many more millions of dollars to organizations and groups with an annual impact of 3.1 million dollars in grants, scholarships, and non-profit support.

Lafe is preceded in death by his parents, Wife, Betty Alice Kazebeer Anderson, three Grandchildren, Zachary Lafe Anderson, Kasey Christopher Behrmann, and David Austin Behrmann, and one brother, Weston Anderson.

Lafe is survived by his sons; Steven (Verona) Anderson of Hastings, NE, Mark Anderson of Dallas, Texas; daughter, Linda Anderson of Rochester, MN; Grandchildren, Lindsay (Jackson) Anderson Seim, Nikki (Jason) Gallimore, Emily (John) Sharpe, Andrew Behrmann, Jennifer Anderson, and Jacob Anderson; Great-Grandchildren, Deacon Seim, Bowen Seim, Eliza Sharpe, Harrison Sharpe, William Sharpe, and Allyssa Jackson. And many other family members and friends.