Norman A. Anderson, 92, of Brainerd, passed away Tuesday, May 24, 2022, at Good Samaritan Society – Bethany.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, June 2, 2022, at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Brainerd. Family and friends are welcome to gather one hour prior to Mass at church and Wednesday evening from 5-7 p.m. at Nelson – Doran Funeral Home in Brainerd. Interment with Military Honors will be held at Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery near Camp Ripley.
Norman was born September 20, 1929, in Brainerd, the son of Harry and Flora (Magnan) Anderson. Growing up on the farm formed an appreciation for the outdoors at a young age – and a tendency to hide in the barn instead of going to school. At the age of 16, he hopped on a train West to work on a Ranch to break horses. When he returned to Brainerd, he worked in the Sagamore Mines for a short time before being drafted. He served in the US Army, spending 13 months on the front lines in Korea. When he was discharged, he returned to Brainerd and worked for the chemical plant in Riverton before obtaining a job at Potlatch, where he spent the next 30 years in various roles.
In 1953, Norman married JoAnn Congdon. The couple made their home on JoAnn’s family farm and Norman, once again got to spend his time outdoors. He liked to hunt – pretty much anything, but especially racoons with his beloved dogs. Norman loved his John Deere tractors and flying his Ultralight aircraft. He was self-educated and enjoyed teaching his son all that he knew. While Norman was quiet and stoic, he still did a pretty good job of using up every one of his nine lives.
He will be dearly missed by his wife of 69 years, JoAnn; children, Patricia Owen, Pamela (Ron) Nelson; Jeff (Vicki) Anderson; and Sue (Jim) Anderson; 10 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son, Scott; parents; sister, Harriette Thompson; and brother, Orville Anderson.
Memorials are preferred to the Disabled Veterans (DAV).
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