Mary E. Anderson

On September 10th 2020, a very special lady left this world. Mary Ethel (Bugbee) Anderson, 91, was born to Alfhild Boquist and George Bugbee on June 16, 1929, in the Cloquet, Minnesota, hospital. Mary was the oldest daughter of three children, born after her brother Richard and before her sister Beatrice. She had an idyllic childhood, growing up on the family farm – Grazeland Farm – in Carlton, Minnesota, surrounded by her extended family that included her Grandparents Bugbee, who had homesteaded the land in 1904. She loved the farm, and the animals on it. As a child she became enamored with horses, and rode the old work horses whenever she could. Eventually she had one of her own, and she rode Red Fox everywhere. Mary went to school in Carlton, Minnesota, where one of her first-grade classmates was

Rodney Anderson, who would become very important in her life. Mary was involved in many activities in school, and graduated in 1947 as valedictorian of her high school class. Desiring to become a nurse, she hoped to enroll in nursing school in Rochester, Minnesota. But after the death of her father she decided to enroll in St. Luke’s School of Nursing in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1947, graduating with a Registered Nursing Degree in 1950. She worked there until August 1951 while Rodney finished his undergraduate degree. After dating the love of her life, Mary and Rodney were married on Thanksgiving Day, 1950, and spent their honeymoon traveling in Minnesota and Wisconsin before settling down briefly in Duluth.

Mary and Rod left Minnesota in August 1951 to begin a new life in Rocky Ford, Colorado. The couple had never been to this part of the country, and the move was the beginning of a great adventure! In Rocky Ford, Mary worked as an RN at Rocky Ford Mennonite Hospital,

and Rod began his teaching career. A son, Rodney Scott, was born there in 1951, with another son, Ross Sherman, arriving in 1953. In 1955, the Anderson family moved to Denver, where daughter, Jill Mary, was born in 1959.

During their time in Denver, Mary’s primary focus was raising her children, which she did with love and great energy. She periodically worked as a nurse at St. Anthony’s Hospital and the Swedish Hospital. She was very active in her church, Brentwood Methodist Church, all during the time they lived in Denver. During part of this time in Denver she was an Avon Lady.

In 1974, Mary, Rod and Jill moved to Ft. Collins when Rod secured a Professor position at CSU. They loved Fort Collins, and became deeply embedded in the community. Mary developed many friends, especially volunteering in many aspects of the First United Methodist Church there. She volunteered for many years as a Hospice Nurse, for over 20 years in the Bonfils Blood Drive, and at the Larimer County Food Bank.

Even to the end of her life, Mary loved to play games with her family and friends, including cribbage, which she learned from her early family, but especially bridge. She and Rod were active in many bridge groups over the years.

Mary loved to travel. With their young family, Mary and Rod traveled many times back to Minnesota to visit relatives, and spent many vacations traveling around the western US on camping trips. The watershed event for foreign travel was when Mary and Rod spent the 1983-1984 year in Devon, England. Using the British Isles as a base, they began a series of travels to at least 88 countries, including all 7 continents, between 1983 and 2017. She kept detailed notes of her travels over the years. She loved all the places that she visited, but the country that she liked the best was England. She also greatly enjoyed the Scandinavian countries, where both she and Rod reconnected with relatives on numerous occasions.

Most of all these things, Mary Anderson cherished her family. She and Rod, her husband of nearly 70 years, were devoted to their children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. Mary is survived by her husband, Rodney; son and daughter-in-law Scott and Pam Anderson; son and daughterin-law Ross Anderson and Cindy Smiley; daughter and son-in-law Jill and Larry Pryor; six grandchildren, Reagan (Oscar) Peña, Caitlin Crawford, Jaima (Tom) Curtis, Del (Stephanie Robson) Anderson, Codie (Shane Knutson) Anderson, and Kelli (Ryan Dunn) Pryor; and 12 great grandchildren, Holder, Zen and Cannon Peña, Cash and Ava Crawford, Harper and Lennon Curtis, Lorelei, Elliott and Wesley Anderson, Ella Knutson and Ezra Dunn.

A private memorial service is planned, but for those who wish to view the memorial service online, an announcement can be found on www.allnuttftcollins.com. Family requests any donations be made to First United Methodist Church of Fort Collins, or pick a charity, cause or event, and give selflessly as our mother would have done, and remember her when you do the next good deed.

Please see the link below to view the service:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e-4jqFjPVh4K64RzEB1KPJPwtqEv3OYL/view