Gloria Jean Andersen

Gloria Jean Andersen age 75, of Cherokee, IA, passed away Wednesday, July 17, 2024, at Accura Healthcare in Cherokee, IA. Memorial services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, July 25, 2024, at the Greenwood-Schubert Funeral Home in Cherokee, IA. Pastor David Hall will officiate. Visitation will be held from 12:00 p.m. until service time at the funeral home. Burial will take place at Oak Hill Cemetery in Cherokee, IA. The Greenwood-Schubert Funeral Home in Cherokee, IA, is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.greenwoodfuneral.com.

Gloria Jean (Osborne) Andersen, 75, of Cherokee, IA, passed away peacefully on July 17, 2024 after a long battle with dementia. She was born on December 27, 1948 in Hampton, IA, the only child of Wayne (Bud) and Bonnie (Boone) Osborne. The majority of her childhood was spent in Gladbrook, IA, followed by moves to Spirit Lake and eventually Cherokee. She graduated from Washington High School in 1967. She married a year later and had 2 daughters, Julie and Jennifer. They later divorced. She met her second husband, Sheldon (Jim) Andersen at a dance in Cherokee and they married on March 5, 1983.

Gloria worked in the Clerk of Court office at the Cherokee County Courthouse for 32 years, before retiring in 2009. During this time, she also worked as the Magistrate Clerk and thoroughly enjoyed interacting with people from all walks of life.

Being an extrovert, Gloria never met a stranger. She couldn’t run an errand without bumping into someone that she knew. She had the “gift of gab”, which she passed on to her two daughters. You never saw Gloria without a smile on her face.

Gloria also had a very active social life. She played in 2 card clubs with the same group of women for many years. She loved to cook and bake-skills she inherited from her father, who was a chef. No one ever left Gloria’s house hungry! She enjoyed bowling and was involved in two bowling leagues. Her teams participated in state and national bowling tournaments, often traveling to destinations outside of Iowa.

Gloria was known for her love of shopping and could often be found watching QVC on repeat. She looked forward to her yearly Christmas shopping trip with her girls, which involved two of her favorite things-shopping and Christmas. She would spend days decorating the house for the holidays, much to Jim’s dismay!

Gloria had many close friends that she enjoyed spending time with. Her greatest joy was the time she spent with her grandchildren. We will forever miss her beautiful smile and kind heart.

Left to mourn her passing are her daughters Julie (Shane) Miller of Sioux City, IA and Jennifer (John) Lang of Altoona, IA; grandchildren Michael, Evan and Macy Miller and Jacob Lang, as well as many friends and extended family members.

Preceding her in death were her husband Jim (Sheldon) Andersen, and parents Wayne and Bonnie Osborne.