Louise Ruth Anderson, 90, a faithful member of Augustana Lutheran Church since May 4, 1941, died December 2, 2011. Louise was born July 1, 1921, in Moline, Illinois, the daughter of Henry William and Ruth Catherine (Johnson) Anderson. After graduation from Rock Island High School in 1940, and working as an office assistant in Moline, Illinois, she married Floyd E. Anderson on April 19, 1941 at St. John Lutheran Church, Rock Island, Illinois. They were married for 64 years. After their wedding, Louise and Floyd moved to Washington, D.C., where Floyd had accepted a position as a civilian electrical engineer with the Bureau of Ships, U.S. Navy just prior to World War II. During World War II, Louise volunteered as a Civil Defense Warden and as a plane spotter at the Army Air Forces headquarters, now Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling.
Louise was active in the Lutheran Church locally, regionally, and nationally. In the 1960s she worked in the Civil Rights Movement through the National Council of Churches. She also served on the Board of the Maryland Lutheran Church Women. During the 1970s, Louise was active with the Shaw Community in Washington, DC. Working with Augustana Lutheran Church, a Shaw community house, Seldon-Thomas, was created to provide after-school programs for neighborhood children. She served on the Board of the Maryland Lutheran Church Women. Louise represented the Lutheran Library Association for Reading is Fundamental, for the Library of Congress - Center for the Book and organized the Lutheran Library Association’s participation in the Annual Book Festival on the Mall. She actively served as a member of the President’s Advisory Board at the Lutheran Theological Seminary - Gettysburg.
In the 1970s Louise was one of the founders of the Washington,
D.C. Meals on Wheels Program. She actively advocated for program funding before the District of Columbia Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was also a founding member of the Washington, D.C. Women in Community Service.
Louise had a longtime commitment to the elderly. As early as the 1940s, she volunteered at the hospice in D.C., which is now the Washington Home and Hospice. She continued her work with the elderly at the National Lutheran Home in Washington, D.C. and Rockville, Maryland. She organized the volunteers and expanded the program until a Director of Volunteers position was established. Along with Floyd, she devoted much time to the development of the Fellowship Square Foundation, affordable independent living residences for older citizens that grew out of Lutheran Lay Fellowship in Washington, D.C. There is now residential housing in five different locations throughout the Washington Metro area. It was one of the early innovative housing concepts for senior citizens.
Louise was a long-time member of the Friends of the Kennedy Center and served on the National Symphony Orchestra's Women's Committee.
Louise was recognized for her volunteer work. These included the Washington, D.C. Women’s Commission Award, the United Nations World Decade for Women (1976-1985) Award; the Luther Award (1992) and the Wittenberg Award (2001) from the Luther Institute, Washington, DC; and the Augustana College Alumni Award (2006).
Perhaps the former Maryland Synod Lutheran Bishop Harold Jansen described her best, “Louise has accepted without hesitation whatever role she had been invited to take in order to meet the needs of others and marshaled her gifts to meet those needs. She met those challenges with energy and eagerness.”
Survivors include two daughters, Sharon Anderson Telleen, Wilmette, IL, and Barbara Anderson (Kirk) Lindquist, Okemos, MI.; grandchildren Katherine Telleen, Paul Telleen, both of Washington, D.C., Anders(Kylie) Lindquist, Dublin, OH, and Britt Lindquist (Brandon) Simonson, Boston, MA; a great-granddaughter, Elin Lindquist, Dublin, OH and two sisters Lucille Anderson(Marvin)Vogel, Las Vegas, NV, and Barbara Anderson (Frank)Haertjens, Moline, IL. She was preceded in death by her husband, Floyd E. Anderson, grandson Lars Anderson Lindquist, son-in-law Philip R. Telleen, sister Beverly Anderson Fauser and brother Harold Anderson.
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