Adrian “Butch” Anderson, 73, the Dutchess County sheriff, died in his sleep on Sept. 29 at his home in Pawling. According to the Sheriff’s Department, he was recovering from vascular bypass surgery.
He was born in 1948, the son of Adrian and Jeanette (Bierce) Anderson. He graduated from Pawling High School in 1966, where he served as class president, and attended Ulster Community College in New York and Chapman College in California, where he majored in physical education. During his high school and college careers, he excelled in basketball, football and baseball.
On June 8, 2015, in Cold Spring, he married Danielle Giametta.
Anderson was elected as mayor of Pawling in 1983 and served for eight years. He was a past chair of the Pawling Republican Party, a member of the Dutchess County GOP Executive Committee and served on the executive board of the New York State Sheriffs’ Association. He also served as a board member of the Make a Wish Foundation of the Hudson Valley.
He began his law enforcement career in 1970 as a deputy sheriff and was promoted to detective in 1974. In 1977, he graduated from the 110th session of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He was appointed undersheriff in 1993 and first elected as sheriff in 1999, winning re-election in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2016.
Along with his wife, he is survived by his children, Beau Anderson, Poppy Anderson, Olivia Marxer and Jacob Anderson; a sister, Fayne Lappas of Rochester; and a brother-in-law, Robert Tabolt of Pawling.
Calling hours will be held Tuesday (Oct. 5) from noon to 8 p.m. at the Majed J. Nesheiwat Convention Center, 14 Civic Center Plaza, in Poughkeepsie, with a funeral service at 10 a.m. on Oct. 6 at the convention center, followed by a private interment.
Memorial donations may be made to the Sheriff Adrian Anderson Memorial Fund, 10 West St., Pawling, NY 12564.
