Lora (Hagglund) Anderson

Lora Ann Anderson, 86, peacefully passed away on May 8 after two hip surgeries and a long struggle with dementia. Lora was born in Minneapolis on April 9, 1938 to Oliver and Mildred (Schwalen) Hagglund. Growing up, she lived in New London, Byron, St. Charles, and St. Peter. (Her father was a teacher and school administrator.) During her high school years, she de-tassled field corn and canned sweetcorn for the Jolly Green Giant.

She graduated from St. Peter High School, attended Gustavus Adolphus College for two years, and then transferred to the University of Minnesota where she graduated in 1960 with a degree in Home Economics Education. While at the U, she was a founding member of Lambda Delta Phi sorority. She taught high school home economics for five years; at Clara City, Hutchinson, and Owatonna.

She joined the Peace Corps in 1965 and worked in community development with the women in a remote mountain village in Turkey. She had a room in an unfinished house, heated with a wood burning stove, and had to break the ice in her water pail on winter mornings. After a year of frustrating work experiences she returned home. There, she and Eugene Anderson, whom she had met at the U, reconnected. They become engaged a month later and married two months later on June 4, 1966. One week later they were on their way to Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri for a month long orientation for new missionaries. Eugene had accepted a call from the Lutheran Church to serve in Tanzania as the Iambi Leprosarium manager. They were at the leprosarium, where Lora volunteered with patient rehabilitation work, for two years. They were transferred to Kinampanda to a new secondary school where both were teachers. They returned home, on furlough, in 1970, and returned to Kinampanda in 1972 to continue teaching there.

After returning home in 1973 they lived in Minneota, MN for three years where Lora was active in her church and community. They moved to Roseville in 1977. Teaching and dressmaking were her professional passions. She taught Sunday and Bible School, volunteered in schools to teach art to elementary school students, and English as a second language. She taught adult education sewing classes. She made doll clothes and then discovered joy and satisfaction in designing and constructing wedding dresses. Lora loved working with her clients, reading, making puzzles, and singing in the St. Timothy choir.

Lora was preceded in death by son, Lincoln; sister, Jean; and parents, Oliver and Mildred. She is survived by her husband, Eugene; sons, Zachary and Dietrich; and brother, Lee.

Memorials are preferred to St. Timothy to support companion parishes in Tanzania.

Celebration of Life service at St. Timothy Lutheran Church, 1465 North Victoria St, St. Paul, on Saturday May 18th at 11:00AM, with visitation 1 hour prior. Live stream at https://www.sttimothylutheran.org/livestream/