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Anna May
Anderson View Guestbook Keepsake Page Birth: 6/5/1915 Death: 5/25/2006 Interred: |
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Visitation Information: Obituary: Anna May Anderson, 90, a resident of Olympia for the last 53 years, died Thursday, May 25, 2006 at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia. She was born in Morrin, Alberta, Canada on June 5, 1915 to Arthur St. Clair and Bridget “Bessie” (Mulligan) Flawn. Anna had been valedictorian of her high school class in Malden and also played baseball on the school team. She graduated from Cheney Normal with a BA in English in 1934. She started her teaching career in 1934 in a one-room schoolhouse in the village of Lamona between Harrington and Odessa, WA. She was also the school janitor and on one winter morning she found a mouse frozen in the water bucket. The schoolhouse was two stories with an auditorium on the upper floor where dances were held on many weekends. She had nine students and pay was a teacher’s cottage with no electricity or running water and $70 per month. Anna then taught eighth grade at Sunnyslope and moved to Colville to teach junior high for three years before leaving to attend the University of Washington for a year. Her next position was in Olympia where she taught for two years. On June 16, 1943 she married Ernest F. Anderson at Holy Family in West Seattle. She joined the WAVES on July 4, 1943. After she was released from active duty on June 13, 1946, she raised her family in Olympia. While the children were in school, she returned to the field of education as a librarian and visual aids coordinator. Anna had been a substitute teacher for the Olympia School District then taught English at Washington Junior High. She began her journey as a librarian for several Olympia Schools before becoming the only librarian at McKinley Grade School for many years, retiring in 1978. Anna was a prolific reader and storyteller, her specialty being children’s books. She and Ernie had a cabin at Hood Canal which she loved. She enjoyed watching the sunsets, crabbing on the beach and swimming. Anna liked to pick wild blackberries which she then used to make pies and jams. She loved to play bridge and belonged to several bridge groups. Challenging crossword puzzles, Yahtzee and cribbage were favorite pastimes. She liked to watch Jeopardy nightly. Anna could also cook, can, knit and crochet, so she truly was a woman of many talents. She was a member of the AAUW (American Association of University Women), League of Women Voters and had been president of Children’s Orthopedic, Elizabeth Lord Guild for many years. In addition to her husband Ernie, she is survived by her sons, Keith and John Anderson both of Olympia, her daughter, Claudia Scott and husband Harvey Scott of Mill Creek and their children Lauren and Brian Scott. Also her sister, Ivy Doblmeier of Spokane, nieces and nephew, Mary Lynn Fichtenberg, Jo Monty, Tom Miller, Molly Brown, Jane Dashiell and Cathy Fleetwood. She was preceded in death by her son, Paul, sisters, Helen Flawn, Mary Miller, Mildred “Millie” Oliver and her parents. A funeral mass will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, June 3, 2006 at St. Michael Catholic Church, 1021 Boundary St. SE, Olympia, WA (360) 754-4667. Memorial contributions are suggested to Children’s Hospital Guild Association, P.O. Box 50020/S-200, Seattle, WA 98145-5020 or NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill), Thurston-Mason Chapter, 4305 Lacey Blvd. #5, Lacey, WA 98503. View Guestbook Keepsake Page |
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