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Harold W. Anderson, 88

Harold W. Anderson, 88, of Red Oak, Iowa, died Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007, at the Stanton Care Center in Stanton, Iowa.

Funeral services were Monday, Oct. 15, at the Tabor Lutheran Church in Wallin, Iowa. Interment was in the Evergreen Cemetery at Red Oak.

Harold Wesley Anderson was born March 22, 1919, in Montgomery County, Iowa, near Wallin, to D. W. and Effie (Requist) Anderson. He was raised on a farm in the Wallin area and graduated from Stanton High school in 1936. He soon started farming with his father.

In 1937, he began courting Norma E. Lindell, and on March 22, 1941, they were married at Tabor Lutheran Church in Wallin, Iowa.

Mr. Anderson entered the U.S. Army on April 2, 1942. On December 10, 1945, he was discharged as a first lieutenant, having received a Bronze Star. After his military service, he returned to his career of farming near Wallin, where he actively farmed until 1997.

He was a true farmer and problem solver; from experimenting with creative ways to fix machinery to practicing soil conservation. He served as a 4-H leader for many years and enjoyed assisting the boys with their projects. The Andersons were honored as the “Farm Family of the Week” on WOW TV in the late 1950s.

Mr. Anderson served on the county school board for 12 years. He was a lifetime member of Tabor Lutheran Church where he had served as Sunday school superintendent, Sunday School teacher, on the church council, and Luther League counselor. He was one of several men who helped build the parsonage for Tabor Lutheran Church. He was a member of the Montgomery County Historical Society. He enjoyed camping, genealogy, woodworking and drinking coffee, as long as there was sugar. The Andersons enjoyed their trip to Sweden, wall-papering together and being active in the Red Oak Lions Club. Mr. Anderson was a 50-year member of the American Legion Ernie Johnson Post #406 of Stanton.

He was very proud of all his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He felt honored and privileged to sail with his son, Wayne, upon the naval carrier, USS Independence for a short cruise. His children said, “Dad took pride in his work as a farmer, and showed them how to love others.”

Harold is survived by five children: Eldon and Mary Anderson of Millis, Mass.; Wayne and Peggie Anderson of Lemoore, Calif.; Norman and Becky Anderson of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Mary Jo and Chuck Harderson of Corning, Iowa; and Elaine and Patrick Gregory of Blair; 15 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Norma, in 2005; three brothers: Wayne, Chester and Robert; and a sister, Phyllis.

Memorials are suggested to the Tabor Lutheran Church, Montgomery County Historical Society or Stanton Historical Center.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~