Lois Nora Anderson

Lois Nora Gehrke Anderson Born December 10, 1929, in Chatfield, Minnesota, Lois was the 8th of Louis and Frieda Gehrke's 10 children. The Gehrke family lived in the southeastern Minnesota communities of Preston and Chatfield until 1944 when they moved to St. Paul. Lois attended John Marshall High School and enjoyed participating in many activities. For three years she was cast as a lead in the spring musical. A group of 8 girlfriends nicknamed the Tevbans continued to meet occasionally for the next 50+ years. Upon graduation from high school, Lois began working at John A. Downey Insurance Company. She enjoyed the work and co-workers. It was during this time that her brother Paul introduced her to Harold Anderson and they began dating. In November of 1948 Harold and Lois were married at St. Stephanus Lutheran Church in St. Paul. They began farming in southeastern Minnesota, renting and owning farms in Dover, St. Charles, Rushford, Lewiston, and Mabel. Lois was a great partner to Harold and together they raised corn, oats, soybeans and other row crops as well as dairy cattle, sheep, hogs and beef cattle. They eventually received the honor of having the National Champion Purebred Polled Hereford Bull at the Denver National Stock Show in 1981. Lois was always involved in church and community projects, providing leadership in 4-H and serving as Women's Missionary Federation (WMF) president. When all the children were school aged, Lois began working at Rushford Elementary School in the principal's office. For the next 24 years, she served students, faculty and administrators as secretary for the principals and superintendents at both Rushford and Mabel-Canton Public Schools. As anyone who has worked at a school knows, a good secretary does many things to keep the whole organization running - from fixing plumbing problems and copy machines, to counseling troubled children and participating in crazy pep-fest skits. Lois was always going beyond the call of duty to make the school a joyful place of learning. After Harold and Lois retired from the farm in 1988, she took a position at the Rushford Tax office, and learned a whole new field of expertise. Later she and Harold lived for several years in both Winona and Moorhead, Minnesota. Lois proudly considered her role as wife and mother as her most important and fulfilling. Their 6 children, Barbara (Jack Schintgen), Bradley (Karen), Clark (Betty), Phillip (Hope), Scott (Julia) and Carolyn (Mark Lillehaugen) all benefited from her patient ways and wise counsel. She is also the proud Grandma to 19 grandchildren and 30 great grandchildren. Family reunions and Grandma Camp were always great times for fun and fellowship. Lois lived at Summit Place in Eden Prairie from 2008 to 2020. She was often the one to welcome new residents and teach them how to play Hand and Foot. Many funny pranks and great Halloween costumes can be traced back to her. For the last 10 months of her life, Lois lived with Barb and Jack in their home in Fairchild, Wisconsin. It became a great place for family to visit and create joyful memories. Lois was preceded in death by her loving husband, Harold, her brother, and all of her sisters, grandson Joshua Thompson, and daughter-in-law Carole Hennessy Anderson. Lois will be remembered for her common-sense approach to life's challenges, her delightful sense of humor, her servant's heart - "You can get a lot done if you don't care about who gets credit." In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to St Croix Hospice, 7831 East Bush Lake Road, Suite #202, Minneapolis, MN 55439. Memorial service Saturday, June 12th, 2:00 PM with visitation 1 hour prior to the service @ Washburn McReavy, Eden Prairie Chapel, 7625 Mitchell Road, Eden Prairie, MN 55344.

Tributes

Lois Nora Anderson

December 10, 1929 - May 27, 2021

Tributes

Lois Nora Anderson

December 10, 1929 - May 27, 2021

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