Colleen R. Anderson

Colleen Rae Anderson, 64, of Alexandria, died October 26, 2017. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, she was raised in North Dakota and Omaha, and lived in Kansas City and Wamego, Kansas before settling in Fairbury and Alexandria.

So devoted to her loved ones, Colleen spent her whole life giving care: to her late daughter Jenny, and all her children; to her parents throughout their lives; to her husband, Mark. She cared most especially for her grandchildren, who gave her so much joy, who knew her as “Grammy” or “My Colleen.”

A lifelong artist, Colleen was a fabulous, inspiring gal with a crazy-quilt outlook on life: always looking for scraps of overlooked discards to combine into something beautiful and new. A quilter, a jewelry maker, a clothing designer. She was always working on 10 different art projects at once. At various points she worked as a textile designer, a house painter, a photojournalist, a nursing assistant, and a medical transcriptionist. She was a collector, a dreamer, an organizer, and a planner.

She was taken from us suddenly and far too soon. Her family misses her fiercely, and we feel so fortunate to have known her.

She is survived by husband, Mark, of Alexandria; sons, Russell (Megan) Fruvellhoff of Longmont, Colorado, and Will Fruhwirth of Portland, Oregon; daughter, Laurel (Dustin) Seevers of Kearney; stepdaughter Stacy (Rob) Svoboda of Lincoln; stepsons Matt (Tawsha) and Brett Anderson of Lincoln; brothers Kevin (Emily) Richardson of Saline, Michigan, and Michael (Mary) Richardson of Belize; 13 grandchildren; many nieces, nephews, and other relatives. Preceded in death by her daughter, Jenny Fruhwirth; daughter-in-law, Tanya Anderson; and parents, Lloyd and Kathleen Richardson.

A visitation with family will be held from 2 - 4 at Stagecoach Mall in Fairbury on Tuesday, October 31st. Condolences may be sent to Gerdes-Meyer Funeral Home.