Constance "Connie" Anderson, a teacher and longtime civic leader, passed away on February 6 in Litchfield. She was born on January 30, 1928 in Bismarck, North Dakota to David and Nell Cordner. She graduated from Bismarck High School in 1946, attended Bismarck Junior College for one year, and graduated from Miss Wood's Kindergarten-Primary Training School in Minneapolis in 1949. She taught kindergarten in Litchfield for two years at Longfellow School. In 1951, she married Boyd N. Anderson, and for several years she worked in his children's clothing store on Litchfield's main street, Boyd's for Boys and Girls. In 1960, Connie and Boyd moved from downtown to a farm south of Litchfield, where they could raise their children in a beautiful setting surrounded by nature and animals. A lifelong animal lover, Connie raised pedigreed Beagles and Irish Setters and indulged her children with numerous other pets, including horses, a goat, a burro, and many cats and dogs. Connie used her masterful organizing skills to host wonderful family gatherings and to serve her community. For 49 years, she was a member of the Trinity Episcopal Church, where she directed the choir and spearheaded the creation of a free lunch program that is still operating today. In her later years, she was a member of First Lutheran Church, where she was active in choir, quilting, Martha Circle, and WELCA (Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America). She also served on the steering committee of Anderson Gardens, in the leadership of the Litchfield Women's Club and P.E.O., and as a Cub Scout den mother. Along with her beloved sister-in-law Bonnie Dille, she was a long-time member of the Choralaires singing group. Connie was proud of her heritage as the granddaughter of a Dakota Territory pioneer woman and a Civil War veteran. She and Boyd took numerous trips to study her family's history and she carried out the research needed to qualify as a member of the Mayflower Society. She is survived by her five children and their spouses: Jon and Dana Anderson of Eden Prairie, Scott and Colleen Anderson of Litchfield, Wendy and Guy Nelsen of Willmar, Laurie and David Hall of St. Augusta, and Sarah Anderson and Peter Bakvis of Washington, DC. Connie was also immensely proud of her 11 grandchildren, Hunter and Jesse Anderson; Britta, Evan, and Estee Anderson; Seth and Callie Nelsen; Tyler, Sonja, Liana, and Mia Hall; and six great-grandchildren - with another one on the way. She was preceded in death by her husband, her brother, Ferris Cordner, and an infant sister.

West Central Tribune