Death of skilled skydiver, 49, a mystery to family

The Valrico man, who had logged more than 3,000 jumps, didn't pull the handles of his parachutes.

By BRADY DENNIS and RYAN MEEHAN
© St. Petersburg Times
published May 28, 2002

ZEPHYRHILLS -- John Anderson found joy high above the earth and far below the water. He spent winters skydiving and summers scuba diving, his wife, Joanne, said.

On Sunday, as he had done more than 3,000 times before, Anderson stepped from an airplane and tumbled toward earth, thousands of feet below. This time it ended differently.

When authorities arrived at the scene just after 5 p.m., they found Anderson, 49, dead in an open field near Skydive City. Both his parachutes were intact. The handles hadn't been pulled, reports stated.

"It's just one of those strange things. We'll probably never know what happened," said T.K. Hayes, manager of Skydive City. "For him, this is an old hat. John could eat a cheeseburger while he's skydiving."

While questions remained about Anderson's death, family and friends spent Monday remembering his life.

"He should be remembered as someone who loved his family and loved his life," said Evelyn Budde, a family friend. "He was just a happy person."

Anderson, a 30-year skydiver, had lived in Valrico for 10 years with his wife and owned a mobile home park. The couple had two children: Jeffrey, 12, and Jessica, 10.

A native of Tulsa, Okla., Anderson earned a business degree from Indiana University, where he also was a member of the diving team.

Hayes said Anderson hadn't jumped in two months before Sunday, and the fatal jump was his first of the day. Hayes said he always invited Anderson to participate when Skydive City held group jumps or special events.

"He's a better skydiver than I am," Hayes said. "He knows the rules more than anybody. He's just one of those seasoned, all-around skydivers."

Joanne Anderson said her husband and 99 other skydivers linked together in a star formation in the 1999 World Championship Speed-100 Competition. The feat earned the group a world record, she said.

She said her husband also was a member of the Parachutists Over Phorty Society, also known as POPS.

Sunday's accident wasn't the first in Skydive City history. On Dec. 31, 2000, a 42-year-old experienced skydiver from New Jersey died of massive head injuries after a headfirst landing.

In January 1999, a 53-year-old Pinellas County businessman died when his main parachute became tangled, throwing the chute into an uncontrollable spin. He failed to activate his reserve chute in time.

In September 1996, a 43-year-old Michigan woman died on her third jump of the day after trying unsuccessfully to activate her parachute.

At least two other skydivers have died at Zephyrhills: one in 1993 and another in 1995.

Hayes said accidents are simply part of the sport.

"Skydiving is a high-risk sport," Hayes said. "It's been a year and a half now (since we had a fatality). But that's the thing about statistics. It will probably happen again; I just have no idea when. It's no different than a car running off the road and hitting a pole."

But the hurt for Anderson's family runs deeper than statistics. Two children are missing a father, a wife has lost a husband, and no one is sure exactly why.

"It's an awful shock," said Budde, the family friend. "He's here enjoying his family one day, and the next day he's gone."

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