Susan M. Anderson

To view Susans service, please click on the link below: https://www.facebook.com/112854343696503/live_videos/
Dr. Susan Marie (Scott) Anderson passed away peacefully surrounded by family on March 13, 2024 after a 3 year battle with Lymphoma. Funeral services will begin at 11 am on Friday, March 22, 2024 at the Canistota School in the old gym. Visitation will be from 5-7 pm on Thursday, March 21, 2024 at the United Church of Canistota.
She was born July 21, 1970 to Alvin and Carolyn (Hage) Scott on their second wedding anniversary. She was baptized by Rev Arthur Cooper at the United Church of Canistota. She grew up on a farm east of Canistota. She always loved reading and once when she was a very little girl and going for a ride on a train at Prairie Village she insisted on bringing along a small suitcase full of books so she would have something to read. She also loved playing the piano and making up songs and took lessons from Starlyn Church throughout elementary and high school. She was confirmed in May 1984. She attended Canistota Public School and was active in many activities as most small-town school students are. She excelled in academics and oral interpretation. She was a 1987 All-State Journalist, co-editor of the high school newspaper and yearbook and always thought she wanted to be a journalist until Mr. Robert Wilson encouraged her to pursue medicine. One of her fondest high school memories was serving as a legislative page in 1988. She graduated from CHS in May 1988 and attended South Dakota State University. She wrote for the Collegian Newspaper while at SDSU and was a member of the SDSU Student Association Senate. She married her high school sweetheart Matt Anderson and their first child Zachary Scott Anderson was born in 1990. She pursued several interests and majors while at SDSU and still managed to graduate in four years with honors and a biology degree. She worked at Avera McKennan in medical records for one year while applying for medical school. She was admitted to medical school at USD SSOM in 1993. In 1995, she and her family moved back to Canistota and bought and expanded Anderson Publications. She commuted to Sioux Falls for the rest of her medical school education, residency and practice. Sadie Elise Anderson was born in 1997. Susan graduated with her MD degree in 1997 and attended residency at the Sioux Falls Family Medicine Residency program where she was co-chief resident. Cole Jeffrey Anderson was born in 1999. Following completion of residency, her residency class had an annual reunion and she never missed one – it was one of her and her family's fondest memories and she cherished the special bond she had with her colleagues and friends. She had one baby in undergraduate, one in medical school, one in residency and one in practice with Blake Matthew Anderson being born in 2002 and she used to like to remind everyone that she breastfed them all – it is possible. She completed residency in 2000 and really wished to have a practice in her hometown of Canistota. She joined University Physicians and USD SSOM and had an outreach clinic in one of the resident rooms at the local Canistota Good Samaritan Nursing Home initially while practicing in Sioux Falls the rest of the week. Eventually the local Canistota Senior Citizens group offered to remodel a former clinic building on Main Street and she saw patients there. She did full-scope family medicine including maternity care and delivering babies, hospital care and serving as Medical Director at the Good Samaritan Center until 2014 when she assumed more academic duties at the USD SSOM. She was appointed Vice-Chair and Director of the Frontier And Rural Medicine Program in 2012. And, became Department Chair of the Family Medicine Department at USD SSOM and Program Director for the SD Area Health Education Center in 2014. She applied and was accepted into a competitive academic leadership and excellence fellowship, ELAM, in 2014. She was appointed to the rank of Professor in 2017. Her academic career continued to evolve and she was named Dean of Rural Medicine in 2019 and Executive Dean in 2020. She was named the Karl Wegner, MD Chair in Medicine in 2020. She was active in professional organizations including serving as SDAFP President and on the SDAFP Board of Directors. The Annual SDAFP Winter meeting was an event she seldom if ever missed starting in medical school and through her practice and was another staple in the Anderson Family annual itinerary. She was active on a national level with the AAFP serving on the 25 X 2030: America Needs More Family Doctors Steering Committee. She was elected to the South Dakota State Medical Association Board of Directors most recently serving as Vice-Chair.
She was recognized for her professional contributions throughout her career receiving: Excellence in Resident Teaching Award, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine 2000; Teacher Development Award, Pfizer/Parke-Davis, American Academy of Family Physicians 2001; New Faculty Scholar Award, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine 2002; Educator and Scholar Award, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine 2007; Fellow, American Academy of Family Physicians 2007; Alpha Omega Alpha Inductee, South Dakota Chapter, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine 2009; Educator and Scholar Award, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine 2014; Fellow, Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) 2015; America Medical Association Physician's Recognition Award 2016, 2019; University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine Distinguished Alumnus Award 2019; South Dakota Academy of Family Physicians Distinguished Service Award 2019; Karl H. Wegner MD, Chair in Medicine 2020; South Dakota State Medical Association, Young at Heart Award 2021; Dr. Earl Kemp Excellence Award 2022; and, SDAFP South Dakota Family Doctor of the Year 2022.
She was loyal to her hometown of Canistota and supported her kids in school-related activities and athletics for 27 years, from when Zach the oldest first started and Blake the youngest finished. She often said "All roads lead to Canistota," as frequently colleagues she met across the state and region had a "Canistota connection." She was active in the United Church helping with VBS during high school and when her kids were little, serving on the Christian Education Committee and the PPR Committee. And, she served on the Canistota School Board for 14 years. Susan and her family loved holidays and she tried to make them memorable with individual scavenger hunts for each of the kids, games and itineraries of activities. She and Matt also liked to travel and take the family whenever they could. The Andersons loved to dress up for Halloween, Homecoming and State Athletic Events. This spilled over into her professional life as she tried to create fun holiday and retirement parties in appreciation to those she worked with in clinic and at the medical school as well. She loved lists and was always organizing and checking things off the "to-do" list. She was competitive, a conservative, valued South Dakota, hard work and the rural way of life. She was an ordinary person who got to do extraordinary things. She was blessed!
She is survived by her husband, Matt; children, Zachary and daughter-in-law Trisha; Sadie; Cole; and, Blake; grandson, Mack Anderson; father, Alvin Scott; brother, Jeff and sister-in-law Angie Scott; brother in-law Mike Anderson and sister-in-law Marla; brother-in-law Monte Anderson and sister-in-law Jayne; nephews Cayden Scott, Brady Scott, David Anderson, Josh Anderson, Drew Anderson, Alex Anderson; niece Erin Liston; uncle Jerry (Marie) Scott; uncle Ed (Marilyn) Scott; uncle Glenn (Cindy) Scott; and many other family and friends.
She was preceded in death by her grandparents; her mother, Carolyn Scott; her in-laws, Wendell and Betty Anderson; her uncle, Robert Hage; and her aunts Joni Scott and Patricia Hage.
In Lieu of Flowers, memorial donations will be used in honor of Susan's dedication to her community and the medical field. The contributions will be used to better the community and promote her passion for medicine and students. Memorials mailed to: 223 N 7th Ave, Canistota. SD 57012.