Dorothy Mae Anderson

Dorothy Mae Anderson, 96, most recently of Glencoe, died Sunday, Feb. 19, in GlenFields Living with Care.  She was cared for by the dedicated staff during her last four years of life.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24, at the Atwater Community Center in Atwater. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service.  The family wishes to invite you to stay after the service for a light lunch and time to visit.  Arrangements are entrusted to the Peterson Brothers Atwater Funeral Home.  www.petersonbrothers.com

Dorothy was born on April 9, 1926, to William and Amy Dake in rural Howard Lake.  She attended school and graduated from Howard Lake and went on to attend teachers training in Litchfield.  Later she returned to St. Cloud State University to receive her degree.  She taught elementary education for over 40 years; retiring from Howard Lake-Waverly Schools in 1987.  After she retired, she enjoyed teaching beginner piano to several students.  It gave her the opportunity to combine her love for teaching and piano.

She would often share the details about the beginnings of her relationship with God.  When she was about five years old, she remembered looking up in the heavens one night and promising God that she loved Him very much and wanted to serve Him for the rest of her life.  She made her choice publicly when she was approximately nine years old and remained faithful to that promise until her death.

On August 15, 1950, she married Donald W. Anderson.  They celebrated 66 years of marriage before his death in March of 2017.  They lived and traveled to different places throughout their years; as a result, they’ve made many friends.  Family and friends have always meant a lot to Don and Dorothy.

Dorothy is survived by her children: Donna (David) Johnson of Ashby, Donald L (Patty) Anderson of Isanti, Marlene Johnson of Hugo and Patty (Curt) Henderson, Minnetrista.  She is also survived by 15 grandchildren and 26 great grandchildren, and her sister Gert Pettit of Howard Lake.  Dorothy called her very special friend, Melissa (Randy) Braund her ‘other daughter’.  Melissa (Randy) Braund live in Alexandria.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband Donald W. Anderson, son Douglas Anderson, daughter in law Kristin Anderson, son in law Richard (Rich) Johnson, granddaughter Alexis (Lexie) Anderson, brothers Willian E. Dake and LeRoy Dake and sisters Blanche Miller and Mildred Dake, who died in infancy.