Marjorie Anderson Solee

Marjorie "Marge" Ruth Anderson Solee, 85, one of seventeen children, was born August 17, 1928 on a farm in Warren, MN. Farming was an honest, simple lifestyle that she identified with all of her life. The work ethic and "get it done" mentality served her throughout her life. Due to complications from a stroke, she died on April 2, 2014, at her home in Las Vegas, NV. Her last days were filled with a joining of family members in love and compassion, around her bedside. She was preceded in death by her parents Andrew and Elizabeth Anderson, fifteen siblings and her second son, Rudy Solee III.

Fiercely independent and resourceful, she would do whatever was needed to get any job done, from learning to operate man-only farm equipment, to tough home projects. Always up for adventure, she would jump into her vehicle with her beloved pets and drive across country on a whim, surprising friends and family time and again. Alaska and Minnesota were where her roots were; she drove the Al-Can highway many times, starting when most of it was just gravel. Due to health concerns, she moved to a warmer climate after she retired from the Alaska Pioneer Home in the 1980s, where she was a commercial cook. She was a great cook and baker and would share her food and recipes with anyone who asked.

She loved gardening - both flowers and vegetables; the farmer in her relished watching things grow and then putting them on the table. A veracious reader, she would be reading several books at any time, and was open minded about reading anything from Hemingway to Stephen King. She enjoyed playing cards and thought that they were excellent tools to teach her grandchildren math and strategy skills; the patience and encouragement that she showed them was amazing! The companionship that her dogs and cat gave her was priceless; they were the reason that she would get out of bed in the mornings when she was in much pain. She had a terrific sense of humor and was a great conversationalist, even though she only went to school through the eighth grade, like most other farm children of her generation. Over the years, she had been an active member of many community organizations: VFW, AMVETS, American Legion, The Moose, and The Elks Clubs.

Her son said "I don't think that there is anything that she wanted to do, that she didn't do." A daughter was comforted by knowing that "she lived life the way she wanted, independently, until the end."

Marge is survived by six strong, independent children: Muriel Kiss of OR; Del (Robert) Carlson of NV; Loran (Verlette) Solee and Rose Solee of AK; Marlene Solee and Michael (Lorena) Solee of CA; twenty-six grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren; and her beloved brother Neil Anderson of MN. Her straight talk and wise advice will be missed by all who knew her.

The family wishes to thank her caring neighbors, the doctors and nurses at Spring Valley Hospital, and Las Vegas Hospice Services for the wonderful care that they gave Marjorie.

There will be no services at this time. Her ashes will be laid in the farm country that she so loved, later this year. In lieu of flowers, please send a remembrance gift to St. Jude Children's Hospital or your local Animal Shelter.