John Henry Anderson attended Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City earning an associate's degree in liberal arts in 1956. He continued studies at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant and earned a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Biology and minor in Sociology in 1958. Several years later, he studied Limnology and Aquatic Botany through Central Michigan University's Beaver Island Center. He attended Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe, Arizona and earned a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology in 1962. Later he continued his graduate studies at ASU earning a doctorate in Higher Education Administration in 1972.

John's professional teaching experience began in 1958 at Remus High School, Remus, Michigan where he taught Sciences and Math, and coached basketball and gymnastics. He also drove the school bus to away games for basketball. In 1960 he taught at Mesa Junior High School, and in 1962 he was one of the faculty that opened Coronado High School in Scottsdale. He taught biology, geology and astronomy, and later was a Guidance Counselor. At Coronado he also coached junior varsity football and varsity swimming. In 2015 he attended the 50th reunion of the first four-year graduating class of 1965 from Coronado High School (Scottsdale), and was honored to meet former faculty and students who spoke of the positive influence he had on them. One former student had a successful career in Astronomy that he attributed to John's passion for the universe, and two of his former swimming students said their lives were enriched due to the discipline developed through many hard hours of swim practice under John's tutelage. From 1968 to 1984 he served as Assistant Professor of Astronomy at Northwestern Michigan College and enjoyed conducting sky labs with students and friends for many years. In 1988 he also served for a year as Education Faculty and Community College Specialist at Arizona State University in their Higher Education program.

In addition to teaching, John served various administrative roles at Northwestern Michigan College for a span of 17 years from 1966-1984 including Dean of Student Services. He was Dean of Instruction at Gogebic Community College in Ironwood in the upper peninsula of Michigan for several years and became Vice President at West Virginia Northern Community College in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1989. He and Judi moved to Arizona where he became President of Northland Pioneer College and served six years in the high desert country of northern Arizona.

John is survived by his wife Judi of 50 years, his two sisters and a brother. He very much loved his many Anderson cousins and nieces/nephews in his family.

John was preceded in death by his parents, and a brother and a sister.