Kathleen Janette Anderson

Kathleen Janette Anderson

Winfield

Kathleen Janette Anderson, age 77, of Winfield, Iowa, passed away Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at Sunrise Terrace Nursing Home in Winfield, Iowa.

Memorial services will be held at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, November 16, 2024, at the Jones & Eden Funeral Home with Pastor Jeff McPheron officiating. The family will be present to receive friends from 1:00 until 3:00 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Private family interment will take place at a later date. Memorials have been established for Sunrise Terrace Nursing Home or Systems Unlimited. Online condolences may be sent for Kathleen’s family at www.jonesfh.com.

Kathleen was born July 24, 1947, in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, the daughter of Merlyn D.and Emma Kay (Smith) Anderson. She attended a one-room schoolhouse in Germanville, Iowa and graduated from Fairfield High School in 1965. After high school Kathleen joined the American Red Cross and traveled all over Europe and the Holy Lands. She was especially proud of being able to help GIs connect with family while stationed abroad. She also traveled in the U.S. while with the Red Cross living in Texas, St. Louis, Missouri, El Paso, Texas, and Columbia, Missouri. She attended college at Kearney State University in Kearney, Nebraska where she graduated with her BA in Sociology. She later received her Master’s Degree from the University of Missouri in Columbia.

She loved hearing the laughter of children and although she never had her own, she helped raise her nieces and children in the local community. She worked with handicapped children in Columbia, MO. Following the death of her dad in 1984, she moved back home to spend time with her mom. She worked at Iowa Wesleyan College as “dorm mom” for Sheaffer-Trieschmann Hall. Following that she worked at the Daycare in Mt. Pleasant before taking a job as a Special Education Associate in the Washington School District. She found a lot of joy working with her kids. Her final job before retiring was with Systems Unlimited in Washington.

She spent many years gathering genealogy and writing a personal history of the Krumboltz and Anderson families adding in her fondest memories of her ancestors. She was a member of Salina Presbyterian Church where she was the pianist for many years and was a Bible School Teacher. Kathleen spent much of her childhood in the woods that she loved on the farm. She learned a lot about gardening from her mother and grandmother Maude, and enjoyed growing flowers and being a staunch supporter of her beloved trees. Kathleen loved her cats and dogs and took in many strays that were dumped at the farm.

Kathleen will be missed by her brothers, Richard (Kim Mehlenbacher) Anderson, Storm Lake, IA; Robert Anderson, Brighton, IA; her nieces, Ranee (Alan) Fladung, and Alisha Hird, Washington, IA; Kaleen Hird, El Segundo, CA; Erin (Mark) Ridnour; State Center, IA; Kristen (Sam Gathje) Anderson, Rochester, Minnesota; as well as many great-nieces and great-nephews and one great-great-niece.

She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, Roger (2006) and Roy Anderson (2019); and two sisters, Phyllis Hird (2013) and Elaine Anderson (2013).