Lily Anderson

Funeral Services for Lily C. Anderson of Albert Lea will be held at 3:00 P.M. on Thursday, May 10th at First Lutheran Chapel, Albert Lea.  The Reverend John Holt will officiate.  Interment will be in Lakewood Cemetery.  Friends and family may visit one hour before the service at the church.  Bonnerup Funeral Service is assisting the family.

Lily died on Saturday morning, May 5th, at Thorne Crest Retirement Community just ten days before her 88th birthday.  She was born the second daughter of seven children on May 15, 1930 on a farm in Freeborn County, the daughter of Clayton N. and Laura E. (Myli) Land.

Lily grew up on a farm close to Northwood, Iowa, near the State line road.  She attended country school and in 1948 graduated from Northwood High School. During that summer she attended Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls.   On Christmas Day, December 25, 1948, Lily married Johnny D. Anderson, in Northwood, Iowa.  She was married to Johnny for 64 years.  They lived in Northwood for a short while after making their home on the Northside of Albert Lea for over 60 years.

Lily was a school teacher at Hartland #1 Country School where she taught fourteen children, including her siblings.  She was a secretary for more than 30 years for Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance working for Mr. E.H. “Ruzie” Ruhsam in Albert Lea where she took shorthand, typed letters and did general office duties.  After that she worked for Mark Jones for Big Insurance Agency for 12 years.

As a member of the First Lutheran Church, Lily served on the Altar Guild and taught Sunday School for several years.  She was also very proud of the fact that she was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary for more than 53 years.  If you visited with her in recent years, she would always invite you to the Legion to come and have supper with her!

During her earlier years, Lily enjoyed going out Friday and Saturday nights with Johnny to “old time” music dances.  They went camping together in their travel trailer for several years.  She liked to read, cook, and sewed many “pillow quilts” as gifts to family and friends. Also, she was a bird lover and enjoyed collecting bird plates and figurines.  Lily always had a smile on her face and compliments to share.

Her surviving family includes daughters:  Mary Josephine and her husband Neil Volkman of Albert Lea and their children Elizabeth “Betsy” (Mike Polis) and great-granddaughter Lydia Mae of Golden Valley, MN and Eric (Elissa) Volkman of Plymouth, MN;  LorRae Karina and her husband Randy Groff of Kansas City, MO and their children, Heidi (Steven) Meier of Ankeny, IA; Luke Groff of Kansas City, MO; and Emily (Tyler) Moorman and great-granddaughter Charlotte Rae of Cincinnati, IA; sisters:  Luan Sallee of Albert Lea and Carolyn Kalvig of Northwood, IA, and several sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews.

Lily was preceded in death by her husband Johnny and parents Clayton and Laura Land, sisters: Lila Funk and Frances Christianson, brothers: Andrew and Harry Land.

The family wishes to send a special thank you to all the caring nurses and staff at Thorne Crest Retirement Community where she lived for the past 3 years.  She loved her home there and especially her beautiful room!