Alice Anderson

Anderson, Alice Marie

Alice Marie Anderson (Westvig), 74, formerly of Wisconsin Rapids, passed away on Saturday, March 16, 2013, after a year-long battle with cancer. She was surrounded by close friends and family.

Alice was born May 24, 1938 in Palisade, MN, to a family of five brothers and one sister. She was raised to appreciate faith, hard work, and sacrifice. She graduated high school and moved to Minneapolis, where she attended the Lutheran Bible Institute. With degree in hand she moved to Eau Claire, WI, where she began work at First Lutheran Church, which would continue what would be a life-long service to her faith. It was there that she met the love of her life, Bill Anderson. The two began their relationship over a mutual interest in fellowship with good friends, pie, coffee and church choir. They were married 46 years until Bill's passing in 2009. The couple had two children, Mike and Kris, and raised their family primarily in Wisconsin Rapids, where Bill taught high school and Alice worked as office manager at Children's Service Society. In Rapids, the couple was very active in the First English Lutheran Church. Alice retired in 1999 and part of her gift from co-workers was a number of artists' tools which re-ignited her passion for painting, which she continued until she could literally no longer put brush to paper. Shortly after her retirement, she and Bill moved to Eau Claire, where they found vitality through their new family at Hope Lutheran Church.

Alice was a passionate, faithful and artistic woman. She possessed a natural beauty and grace that made her so easy to be around. She saw God in the splendor of the world that surrounded her and praised that beauty through her art and in her singing in the church choir. Alice's artwork has been displayed in several art shows, galleries, in church banners, and even theater backdrops. Her home, as well as those of many others, is adorned with her artistic expressions of love and life.

Alice was engaging, humble and genuine. She was quick to help others and volunteer her time. She loved to laugh, or share a joke (especially it seemed a bad joke, or one that she had forgotten the punch line). Alice could sew anything, canned vegetables from her garden, made beautiful afghans, could knit and crochet, and she put ice-cubes in her wine. She loved the color purple, dining out, and a good bowl of rommegrot. She was so proud of and in love with her three grandchildren. Alice enjoyed many friends and participated in numerous groups and activities including Hope Lutheran Sanctuary Choir, the Valley Art Association, the Eau Claire Art League, Chippewa Valley Water Color Artists, Hope Memorial Service Hospitality group, her church "coffee group", her group of friends from Rapids and her neighborhood brunch club.

Strong in her faith, Alice was anticipating reuniting with those who preceded her in death including her parents, Sigvald Westvig and Lois Moltumyr, husband, Bill, fathers-in law, Ken Carlson and Ray Anderson, brother, Bob Westvig, sister, Karen Westvig, brother-in law, Tom Reese, sister-in-law, Virginia Westvig, nephew, Nathan Westvig and niece, Rebecca Westvig.

Alice is survived by her children, Mike Anderson (Brenda Mack) and Kris Simpson (Aaron Deehr); grandchildren, Dane and Sydney Anderson and Emily Simpson; brothers, Ken (Beulah), Marvin, Warren (Sue), and Dale (Greta) Westvig; mothers-in-law, Evelyn Carlson and Carol Anderson, brothers-in-law, Gary (Celia) Anderson, Dick (Mary) and Don (Carol) Carlson; sisters-in-law, Linda (Dave) Mickelson, Sue Reese, Cindy (Steve) Swingen, and Jan (Craig) Stark; and many other extended family and close friends.

Blessings and peace to the memory of Alice Anderson. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Hope Lutheran Church's mortgage reduction fund.

A Celebration of her Life will be held 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 27, 2013, at Hope Lutheran Church (Corner of Starr Avenue and Eddy Lane) in Eau Claire, with the Reverend John Mann officiating. Visitation will be 1 hour prior to the service. Interment will be in Forest Hill Cemetery in Eau Claire. Evergreen Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the family.

To send your condolence to the family, please visit our obituaries at www.evergreenfuneralhome.com.