Palmer A. Anderson

Palmer Anderson, age 90, of Decorah, Iowa, died on Friday, December 5, 2008, at the Aase Haugen Nursing Home in Decorah, Iowa, following a long illness. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, December 8, 2008, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Locust, Iowa. Burial will be in the Locust Cemetery, Locust, Iowa. Friends may call from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. on Sunday at the Schluter – Balik Funeral Home, in Decorah, and after 10:00 a.m. at the church on Monday morning. There will be a VFW Memorial Service at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. Palmer Arthur Anderson was born on February 12, 1918, the son of Ole and Isabell (Usgaard) Anderson on the family farm near Decorah, Iowa. Palmer was baptized and confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Locust. Palmer attended country school. He married June Barth on June 7, 1940 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Locust. After Palmer and June were married, they lived in the Springwater area and Palmer was a cream hauler. In 1944, Palmer served in the US Army, during WWII, for1 ½ years in the Pacific Theater. After the service, they moved to a farm north of Locust, where he farmed for twenty-five years and also drove school bus. In 1971, they sold the farm and moved into Decorah. Palmer worked for Roverud Construction, Winneshiek Co-op, Cronin Asphalt Services, Farm Service and Steve Downing Trucking. Palmer spent many hours maintaining the Locust Cemetery; mowing and trimming. He took great pride in the appearance of the cemetery. He loved to take a chair and lunch and set under the big tree on the cemetery grounds and “watch the world go by”. Once in a while, some of his buddies would stop by to visit. Palmer also was a big help to June in her drapery business, he got really handy putting up curtain rods. Another love Palmer had was fishing. He and June took several fishing trips up to Minnesota with friends and he loved to get his boat out and head to the Mississippi. He especially liked it when his grandson, Paul, was old enough to go along. Palmer and June also enjoyed going camping, never traveling far from home, with Peterson’s bottom as a favorite spot. Palmer and June entered the Aase Haugen Nursing Home in 2004. Palmer was a life-long member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Locust. Palmer’s survivors include his wife: June Anderson, Decorah, IA. One daughter: Wanda (John) Lillegraven, Decorah, IA. One grandson: Paul (Nicki) Lillegraven, Decorah, IA. Two great grandchildren: McKinley and Anderson “Andy” Lillegraven. One brother: Richard (Elaine) Anderson, Decorah, IA, and one niece and five nephews. Palmer was preceded in death by his parents: Ole and Isabell Anderson. One sister: Lucille (Howard) Wendling. Sisters and brothers-in-law: Grant & Vivian Barth and Glen & Rosemar Rilling. One nephew: Otis Barth.