Orlen Anderson Obituary

I received word today from Eileen Misfeldt that Orlen Anderson had passed. He and his wife Shirley lived in Magnolia Park for several years. I do appreciate that Eileen keeps me informed with information like this and it gives us a chance to chat a bit. She and LeRoy are doing fine and I enjoyed chatting with her. We talked about the "good old days" and agreed there will never be anything quite like what we had at Magnolia.! They do miss going south and I told her we do like our park Trails End a lot, of course that could be because so many of our Magnolia neighbors are also there!

Orlen Anderson, 92, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota passed away peacefully in his sleep on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at his home at Prince of Peace Assisted Living.  Funeral services will be 10:00 a.m., Thursday, May 22, 2025, at George Boom Funeral Home & On-Site Crematory in Sioux Falls.  Interment will follow at Hills of Rest Cemetery in Sioux Falls.  Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 21, 2025, also at the funeral home.  

 Orlen was born in Madison, SD to William and Laura (Grove) Anderson on October 31, 1932.  He grew up on the family farm by Howard, SD.  Orlen graduated from Howard High School and worked on the farm for two years.

 On February 10, 1952, Orlen was united in marriage to Carol Ann Nelson at Oldham Lutheran Church in Oldham, SD.  They lived in Madison prior to moving to Sioux Falls where he worked at a commission firm for eight years.  Orlen then worked at the United States Postal Service for 32 years.  Orlen and his wife, Carol Ann were members of the Moose Lodge for 18 years.  On June 13, 1995, Carol Ann passed away.

 On October 23, 1998, Orlen was united in marriage to Shirley Tirrel at Ben Clare United Methodist Church in rural Valley Springs. Orlen and Shirley wintered in Donna, TX for 15 years.  Shirley passed away on May 28, 2018.

Orlen had the remarkable ability to remember dates and years of birthdays and anniversaries of all of his relatives as well as family friends.  He loved to share stories of his childhood on the family farm and how he lived with a married couple in Howard in order to attend high school.  Orlen was very proud of his Norwegian heritage and always looked forward to eating lutefisk and lefsa.

 Left to share his memories are his sons, Donald (Jean) Anderson and Richard (Debbie) Anderson; his daughter, Laurie (Scott) Timmer. Orlen was blessed with ten grandchildren, Rebecca (Tim) Petersen, Daniel Anderson, Heidi Galer, Michaela Anderson, Lucas (Alexis) Anderson, Elizabeth (Dave) Furlong, Benjamin (Jill) Anderson, Joseph (Amanda) Timmer, Kristina (David) Foster, and Andrew (Audrianne) Timmer as well as nineteen great-grandchildren.

 Orlen was preceded in death by his wives, Carol Ann and Shirley; son, Robert Anderson; parents, William and Laura Anderson; brother, Harvey Anderson; sisters-in-law, Lenora Anderson, Laurel Jensen, and Loretta Nelson; brothers-in-law, Orville Jensen, Verlynn Nelson, and Glen Pearson; nephews, Michael Nelson and Wayne Anderson; daughter-in-law, Pam Anderson; and grandson-in-law, Matt Galer.

 

Mary Pierce

 I am saddened to report that I have heard from Mike and Pat Jordan that Mary Pierce has passed. We remember Mary and her husband Max well. I always thought of Mary as the true definition of a "lady" and it seems she always had a smile on her face. She and Leslie C would handle the readings when Magnolia would have our annual Remembrance Service for those who had passed each year

Mary Lou Pierce, age 87, of Stockton, IL passed away Saturday, May 17, 2025. She was born on June 19, 1937 in Freeport, IL to the late Lyle and Daisie (Hardacre) Rife. Lyle passed away when Mary was young and her mother later married Wilbur Wright. Mary married her high school sweetheart, Max Pierce, on August 20, 1955 at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Stockton. 

She was a 1955 graduate of Stockton High School. Mary was an active member of the UU Church in Stockton. She loved bowling with the Motorettes, dancing with her husband, playing cards, gardening, cooking and wintering with her husband in Donna TX. Mary was exceptionally kind, a caretaker to the core. She was always thinking of others and everyone was welcomed in her home. 

She is survived by her husband, Max Pierce; her children, Vicki (Olivier Andreini) Selover, Crystal Pierce, Brian (Patti) Pierce, Rick Pierce and Diane (Dale) Heath; her grandchildren, Jefferson (Amanda) Selover, Regina (Derek) Butler, John (Natasha Hastings) Reiland, Jammie (Mark) Hannis, Jana Reiland, Tony Pierce, Karly (Larry) Gleeson, Jing Jing (Sitai Qin) He, Maria (Ragnar Stefánsson) Heath, Carissa (James) Armstrong, Vince (Chas) Heath and Alissa Adams; her 15 great grandchildren; and her sisters, Phyllis Gothard, Pat Phillips and Sharon (Stan) Cox. She was preceded in death by her parents; her son-in-law, Eugene Selover; her daughter-in-law, Jiao He; and her sister, Shirley Heller and brothers-in-law, Dalvin Heller, Gene Gothard and Don Phillips.

A memorial fund will be established in lieu of flowers. 

A celebration of life potluck will be held at 1pm on Sunday, July 6, 2025 at the Brian & Patti Pierce farm for friends and family.  

This and That

 It was suggested to me that I should post some of my bird pictures and wildlife pictures on the blog as many folks don't have Facebook which is where I usually post them and I like that idea so here are just a few I've taken since we returned home from Texas.