Biography: James Medford ‘Cooter’ Anderson, 87, was born December 26, 1934 and peacefully departed this life on April 17, 2022.  Mr. Anderson, a lifelong resident and local businessman of Farmerville, owned and operated Anderson’s Sport Center for over 48 years. Serving the community and sportsmen of North Louisiana and Lake D’Arbonne was one of his greatest pleasures, and he often spoke of how much he “loved every minute of it.” Cooter told his patrons that he had the best shiners in town and were “guaranteed to catch fish or die trying.”
Mr. Anderson is remembered and respected by family and friends for his discipline and hard work ethic; however, he was also well known by many in the community for his support and generosity for helping people in need.
Cooter was an avid sportsman and enjoyed pretty much all sports, hunting, fishing, baseball and especially, LSU football. In his younger years, Cooter coached Dixie baseball and led several All-Star teams to District Championships and even earned a State Runner-Up Title.
Quail hunting was one of his favorite wild game sports though, and he loved watching his dogs work, pointing and retrieving. Cooter was an extraordinary marksman when it came to wing shooting, and his hunting companions even nicknamed his shotgun ‘Poison’ because it seemed to be so lethal on the quail.
However, as fate would have it, playing golf with his buddies turned out to be his favorite pastime. Cooter began playing golf at age 50 and was a member of Lake D’Arbonne Country Club where he played most of his rounds. During his golfing career, he carded 3 holes-in-one, won several tournaments, and even shot his age at 72 years old.
During his years at Farmerville High School, Cooter excelled in football and baseball, and was presented the ‘Unsung Hero’ award in football by his all-time favorite mentor, Coach Tinsley!

After graduating in 1953, Mr. Anderson attended Louisiana Tech University for a year before going to work for Houston Pipeline Company and becoming a highly skilled heavy equipment operator for eighteen years. It was during the early days of his pipeline career that he met his sweetheart and the love of his life for 68 years, Martha Ann Osborne, from Hohenwald, Tennessee. Cooter had a photo of ‘Martha Ann’ displayed in his store and whenever someone would ask about it, he’d proudly reply that he “got the prettiest girl in Tennessee!”

During his youth, Cooter attended Salem Baptist Church with his family and was later baptized into Christ as a member of Ward’s Chapel Church of Christ. Unknown to many of his friends, Cooter loved country music and in his younger years, played the guitar. He especially enjoyed strumming and singing to gospel hymns, his favorite being, ‘I’ll Fly Away.’

Mr. Anderson was preceded in death:
father: James A. Anderson
mother: Lunnie Marie Hicks Anderson
sister: Madine Anderson
nephew: Mark Coates.

The family would like to extend our sincere appreciation for the wonderful caretakers at Arbor Lake Nursing & Rehabilitation and Union General Hospital, 
with special thanks to:
 Doris Fields
 Jody Loyd
 Candice Lumsey
 Linda Austin
 Kaneshia Mason
 Quarnelius McElroy
 Anya Traylor

Dear Dad,
We love you very, very much! You were never the ‘unsung hero’ to us, you were our hero!
Love, Martha Ann
Cat
Johnny Boy
Dave
Jimbo

Memorials may be made in his honor to the Farmerville Church of Christ Spanish Mission or Lake D’Arbonne Country Club.