Carolyn Rose Anderson, 93, of Ottumwa, passed away peacefully on July 26, 2024 at The Haven in Ottumwa, Iowa.
Carolyn was born in Ayrshire, Iowa in 1931. She was the daughter of Ernest H. and Maude C. (Thornton) Wiese. She was the second youngest of ten children. She grew up in Emmetsburg, Iowa and graduated from Emmetsburg Catholic High School. She was employed by Western Union Office in Spencer, Iowa after graduating. She met James “Jim” Alfred Anderson and they were married at Assumption Catholic Church in Emmetsburg, Iowa on October 20, 1951. They lived in Spencer and Marshalltown and moved to Ottumwa in 1962. They had two children, Mary Keryl “Kerry” and James Kevin. They lived a happy life together until Jim passed away in September of 1990 and she became a widow at a young age. She worked for many years at JCPenney and thoroughly enjoyed her job and retired in 2002. She enjoyed her grandchildren and great grandchildren immensely. She loved when they came to Iowa every summer and she took them to feed the ducks at the pond, to the water park, to play games and eat pizza at Happy Joe’s and to go eat a canteen. She had many hobbies throughout her life – shopping, playing bridge, ceramics, water aerobics and sewing. She loved all things sports and followed the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Bulls, all teams of the Iowa Hawkeyes and Creigton Blue Jays basketball. She loved summers with her family in Emmetsburg, Iowa and at Lake Okoboji and in Michigan at the lake. She loved all the women’s clubs she was in and enjoyed spending time with her friends antiquing. She belonged to St. Patrick Catholic Church and was very strong in her faith praying each morning by her bedside. She loved animals, especially dogs. She loved being outside on her deck reading the paper keeping up with the latest news and drinking her coffee in the morning and a Miller Lite at night. She loved watching her roses grow in her yard.
She is survived by her daughter Kerry (Tim) Goaley of Battle Creek, MI and son Kevin (Linda) of Papillion, NE, her favorite granddaughter Jennifer (Brian) Sandusky of Surprise, AZ; grandsons Jeremy (Michelle) Goaley of Bay City, MI; Timmy Goaley of Battle Creek, MI; Andy Goaley of Portage, MI; Logan Anderson (Camila) of Omaha, NE and Hayden Anderson of Papillion, NE; great-grandchildren Addison and Jakob Sandusky; Amelia, Nora and Lea Goaley and Camrynn Anderson; many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her brother, Max Wiese of Des Moines, IA.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; her sisters, Jane Sanders, Ernita Wiese, Calista “Pat” Wiese, Jeanne Wiese; brothers, John Wiese, James Wiese, Ernest “Tom” Wiese and Dave Wiese; and great-granddaughter Catalynn Anderson.
Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, August 2nd at Reece Funeral Home with Fr. Ben Snyder officiating. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery.
Visitation with her family present to greet friends will be from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Friday, prior to the service.
Please in lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the family which will be used for the NICU care of great-granddaughter Camrynn Anderson.
