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Feb
25

Anderson, Gladys Marion 94

Gladys Marion (Olson) Anderson
February 5, 1920 – February 24, 2014
Gladys Marion (Olson) Anderson was born February 5, 1920, to Edwin and Ida (Larson) Olson in Cokato, Minnesota. She grew up on the Olson family farm southwest of Cokato. She had one younger sister, Lorraine (Olson) Payette. She had the opportunity to participate in many farm activities normally done by brothers.
She proudly attended Beaver Dam Country School located on the site of the present Dassel–Cokato High School. After Country School, she attended Cokato High School where she graduated in 1938. Her parents and friends encouraged her to attend the University of Minnesota where she graduated with a degree in Home Economics Education in 1943.
She was baptized, attended Sunday School and was confirmed (1934) at the Cokato Evangelical Lutheran Church. She was active in many of the church activities, groups and committees. Her teaching talents allowed her to teach the Bethel Bible Series. Her musical talents allowed her the opportunity to play the church organ for Sunday Morning Church services, weddings, funerals and other church related activities. She maintained her membership there until 2012. She then joined Good Shepard Free Lutheran Church.
Gladys’s early career teaching Home Economics started in Winona and Elk River, Minnesota. It was in Elk River that her future husband would fly in with his airplane, sweep her off her feet and bring her back to Cokato. She married Wesley Anderson on June 28, 1947. They lived their entire married life on the Anderson family farm northwest of Cokato. Two children were born, Harlan (1948) and Shirley (Billigmeier) (1950).
She returned to teaching in Kimball and then moved onto Buffalo High School, teaching Home Economics. She found a new teaching interest, Physical Education. She taught PE at Buffalo Junior High School until she retired.
Gladys and Wesley enjoyed many exciting and successful experiences farming together. They were honored with a number of national awards for their efforts. They traveled well together seeing most of the U.S. with their young family. Unfortunately, Wesley passed away in 1969 of pancreatitis. Gladys continued to live on their farm until the last few weeks.
Gladys kept her retirement career busy with Church activities and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She had one granddaughter, Katherine (Billigmeier) Higgins and three grandsons, Steve Billigmeier, Richard and Mark Anderson. She enjoyed one great-granddaughter Sophia Higgins, three great-grandsons, Jasper Higgins, Grant and Miles Anderson. She was especially proud that all of her grandchildren followed in her footsteps, each receiving a very good college education.
In addition to enjoying her family, Gladys enjoyed gardening, visiting old people, playing the piano, walking around the farm and traveling to places like Europe, The Holy Land and Hawaii.
One of her life’s highlights was being awarded the Minnesota Mother of the Year by then Governor Al Quie in 1980. She appreciated all her Buffalo teacher friends facilitating this award.
Gladys passed away on February 24th at the Augustana Lakeside Health Care Center of Dassel. Gladys was preceded in death by her husband Wesley and her parents Edwin and Ida (Larson) Olson. She is survived by a sister Lorraine Payette of Atlanta, Georgia, a daughter Shirley (Jon) Billigmeier of Orono, a son Harlan (Mary) of Cokato, granddaughter Katherine (Jon) Higgins, grandsons Steve Billigmeier, Richard (Jenny) and Mark Anderson, great-granddaughter Sophia Higgins, great-grandsons Jasper Higgins, Grant and Miles Anderson, nieces and nephews and other relatives and friends.
Funeral service will be held at 1:00 P.M. Saturday March 1, 2014 at the Good Shepherd Free Lutheran Church, 5939 Oliver Ave. S.W. Cokato, Minn. Visitation will be from 4:00 to 7:00 P.M. at the Swanson Peterson Funeral Home in Cokato, Minn.