CAROL JEAN (JOHNSON) ANDERSON
A celebration of a life well lived, for Carol Jean (Johnson) Anderson will be Saturday, June 4, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Britton, SD. Put on your festive camp shirt and join us! Memorial visitation will be 5-7:00 Friday at the church concluding with a 6:30 p.m. prayer service.
Carol was born on June 24, 1952 in Britton, SD to Alfred (Bim) and Lorena Johnson. Except for leaving to attend college, she called Britton home her entire life. Carol’s earthly journey ended surrounded by her loving family on May 25, 2022.
Carol met Bruce Anderson in high school, while building homecoming floats. They dated briefly, then parted for separate colleges (Carol to NSU, Bruce to SDSU). Carol said that after a period, she wrote to him to reconnect. Bruce was “Lorena approved” so a little over a year later they were married on August 20, 1971. An avid seamstress, Carol made her own wedding dress and veil. Carol then transferred to SDSU to finish her degree in Business Administration. Bruce and Carol’s family grew with the births of their daughters, Margo and Holly.
Marriage to Bruce, Carol claimed, introduced her to the wildlife (“wildlife” because he was a hunter, not “wild life”). She quickly appreciated feeding and watching the critters that wandered by – deer, rabbits, a plethora of birds, stray cats, and of course, the squirrels whose antics Carol loved to watch. Animals were not only fed and watched in the yard, but according to their daughters, they had many “pet” animals as well. In addition to dogs, they had ducks and pigs briefly in the house, bottle calves and lambs in the laundry room, and fish and land snails.
Attending school activities, plays, concerts, and sporting events of their daughters was one of Carol’s most treasured memories. Someone said she must have attended every event, Carol argued “No, I missed ONE – a swim meet in Milbank because I couldn’t get off work!” Carol also loved watching events of, and spending time with her grandchildren, Callen, Drayvin, and Emerlyn.
Camping with the grandkids, family, and friends was Carol’s favorite group activity. She loved the excitement of the grandkids catching fish. She was adept at being the first to chant “dead rabbit, dead rabbit” to make the campfire smoke shift away from her face and toward someone else – while laughing at the silliness of that superstition. Food cooked over a campfire was the best in her book, especially after a day in the sun, looking at the lake, surrounded by family and friends, and a good book in her hands.
Carol leaves behind her husband of 50 years, Bruce and daughter Margo and Tim Grow, grandchildren Callen Olson, Drayvin Olson, and Emerlyn Grow; daughter Holly and Chris Hintz; her mother, Lorena Johnson; sisters Edith (Net) Lehr, Carmen and Jim Tisher, Nancy and Lonnie Furman, Gail and Pat MacAllester; in-laws David and Ginny Anderson and Jim and Lynn Anderson.
Greeting Carol in heaven are her father, Bim Johnson, her siblings MaryAnn (Johnson) McQuill, Billy Johnson, Linda (Johnson) YellowBoy, and in-laws Ivan Lehr, MaryJane (Anderson) Vold, Delores and Albert Anderson.
In lieu of flowers memorial would be appreciated. Carol’s family will be establishing a nursing scholarship in her name. Memorial and condolences may be directed to the family in care of Bruce Anderson - 42396 109th ST. - Britton, SD 57430.
An online guestbook and obituary are available at www. pricefuneralchapel.net.