Obituary of Ken L. Anderson

Ken Anderson, 84, of Princeton, passed away on October 25, 2015. Kenneth Lloyd Anderson was born at home in Springvale Township to Eddie and Lilly Anderson on July 19, 1931. He attended rural schools until he began high school in Princeton. He was drafted into the Army in 1953 and served during the Korean War as a heavy vehicle operator until he was discharged in 1955. Ken married Lois Jean Kronberg on August 18, 1956, in Roseau, Minnesota. After Ken and Lois were married, they lived in the Twin Cities where he worked as a machinist in a tool and die shop. As the saying goes, “you can take a boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy,” and in 1965, Ken and Lois purchased a farm a few miles from where Ken had grown up. The family milked cows, raised crops and livestock until 1977 when they sold the farm and Ken began a career in carpentry by building their new family home just a short distance away. Ken grew his carpentry skills and formally retired as a master carpenter in 1996, having worked at Howard Homes for the previous 10 years, and continued to do special projects thereafter for an additional 4 years. He never really retired, as he continued to share his skills and talents with family and friends, the church, and Lake Beauty. Ken was an avid fisherman and enjoyed camping with family and friends. He served in many positions on the church board and took care of the Karmel Cemetery as its treasurer and caretaker since he was a young adult. The grandchildren will miss playing games of Monopoly and Uno and the grown kids will miss how he gently taught us by example. We’ll all miss his carpentry skills and appreciate all we’ve learned. Most of all we’ll miss his quiet demeanor, the twinkle in his eye, his never-ending strength and his fierce love for us. Ken is preceded in death by his parents Eddie and Lilly Anderson, siblings Darold Anderson, Dean Anderson, Harriet Tonn, Glen Anderson, Franklin Anderson, Ron Anderson, and grandson Nicholas McChesney. Ken is survived by his wife Lois Anderson; and children Marlene (Kevin) White and Larry (RaNae) Anderson; siblings Robert (Harriett) Anderson, Elaine Wicklund, Phyllis Johnson, and Marvel (Allen) Regehr and sisters-in-law Bonnie Anderson and Suzie Anderson; grandchildren Eric, Tasha (Andrew) and Hailyn White, Rob (Lydia) McChesney, and Jacob and Zachary Anderson; and great grandchildren Elliott Steiner-White, and Dacia, Max, Alex, Caleb and Julianna McChesney, and Bradyn Haywood. Honorary Pallbearers are: Carl Anderson, Chris Anderson, Clark Anderson, Robert Anderson, Steve Haverinen, and Dwight Tonn. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Karmel Church Building Fund or Lake Beauty Bible Camp for campground improvements at Mill Point. The family of Ken Anderson wishes to extend our sincere thanks to family and friends who have sent cards and prayers, visited with us, supported us in so many ways and walked this journey beside us.