1933
Joanne
2006
Joanne Andersen
June 25, 1933 — May 31, 2006
Private family services for Mrs. (Andy) Joanne Anderson, age 72, of Milbank, will be held Saturday morning, June 3, 2006, at the First Congregational Church in Milbank. The Reverend Colleen Natalie-Lees will officiate. Joanne died on Wednesday, May 31, 2006, at the Milbank Area Hospital/Avera Health. The pianist will be Julie Ludwig and the soloist will be Jeff Natalie-Lees. Visitation will be at the Emanuel-Patterson Funeral Home in Milbank on Friday from 5-7 p.m. Pallbearers will be Gene Torness, Ron Boe, Arnold Anderson, Rudy Nef, Harvey Schaefer, and Jack Stengel. Burial in the Milbank City Cemetery will also be private.
Joanne Burges was born on June 25, 1933, in the first St. Bernard's Hospital on Viola Street in Milbank, SD, and lived in Milbank nearly all her life. She was the first child of Charles Cornelius and Mary Lucille (Whittom) Burges, publishers of the Milbank Herald Advance.
She finished twelve years of school in Milbank, graduating as valedictorian in 1951. Joanne continued her education at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, earning academic honors in both her freshman and sophomore years with membership in Alpha Lamba Delta and Guidon. While at USD she joined Alpha Phi social sorority and was in the concert band where she met her future husband.
Her marriage to Lawrence "Andy" Andersen took place in Denison, Iowa, in 1953. Following marriage they moved to Arlington, SD, where Mr. Andersen taught instrumental and vocal music for five years. During those years Mrs. Andersen resumed her college career, studying at SDSU in Brookings for three quarters before completing her BA in English and Journalism at USD where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa before graduating with honors in the summer of 1958. The couple's two children, Charles and Mary Jo, were born during those years and Mrs. Andersen also taught piano.
When Mrs. Andersen's father died in 1957, the couple made plans to move to Milbank the following summer to join Mrs. Burges in the publishing business. In the years from 1958 until 1985, Mrs. Andersen was a reporter, photographer, columnist and editor of the award-winning newspaper. The Andersens took over ownership of the firm in 1971 and sold the business at the end of 1985 when Mrs. Andersen's deteriorating physical ability left her unable to work full-time. She had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1983 but later discovered the first symptoms had occurred in 1968. The Burges-Andersen family was honored for four generations of newspapering at the National Newspaper Association centennial convention in Minneapolis in September 1985.
Besides her business career, Mrs. Andersen was very active in the community. She continued to be involved in music as church organist at the Congregational UCC in the 60s and 70s and had also served in that capacity during high school.
She was a longtime member of the Milbank Community Club (now the Chamber of Commerce) and had served on program committees when the club met weekly.
Her lifetime interest in learning led her to join the Makocha Study Club in 1961, and she was an active participant in the nationally affiliated ESO reading program where she attained the Century One award (100 books read and reviewed) in the spring of 2000. She was a member of the Milbank Book Club that met monthly at the Andersen home for several years.
She had followed in the footsteps of her parents as an active participant in Masonic activities joining the Order of Eastern Star in Arlington, SD, on Nov. 9, 1955. She was an office-holder every year and was Worthy Matron twice in the Milbank Chapter, her first term being in 1965. At the conclusion of that year she helped establish the first Bethel of Job's Daughters, the Masonic order for young women, in Milbank, and was the chapter's Guardian for several years. One project was to make arrangements to host a foreign exchange student at Milbank High School. Ralph Gemeinder came to Milbank from Germany in 1969 and made his home for a year with the Jim Emanuel family. Exchange students have subsequently been attending school here annually.
Joanne had been an assistant den mother in Cub Scouts and had helped with Girl Scout service work occasionally. She and her husband had also been advisors for the church's Pilgrim Fellowship and had been members of the church couple's club.
Her other interests included sewing, knitting, and bridge. In the last few years after her bridge club disbanded, she had played a game of bridge on the internet daily and had a favorite partner in Nova Scotia.
She took a great interest in politics as did her family and had been County Committee Woman in the Republican Party in the late 50s and 60s. Her grandfather Burges had been county Republican chairman in Chippewa County, MN; her father had been Grant County chairman in Milbank and her sister Mary had been a Republican State Senator from Spink County for several terms.
After the Andersens retired from the newspaper business, Mrs. Andersen resumed her piano teaching and taught beginners for several years before retiring again.
As she matured, she realized how filled her life had been with blessings and she became a re-committed Christian.
The sources of her greatest satisfaction on earth were her husband, children, grandchildren, and only sister Mary. Their happiness and achievements far outdistanced anything she herself had ever accomplished.
Survivors include her husband Andy, Milbank; one son Charles and wife Amy, Kildeer, IL; one daughter M.J. Andersen and husband Andrew Nixon, Attleboro, MA; one grandson, Eric Andersen, and one granddaughter, Carrie Andersen, both of Kildeer, IL; one sister Mary McClure Bibby, Brookings, SD; one niece, Kelly Kyro and husband Alan, Maple Plain, MN; one great niece, Elisabeth Kyro, Maple Plain, MN; and one brother-in-law, Elton Andersen and wife Ruby, Riverside, CA.
Joanne was preceded in death by her parents.
Joanne Burges was born on June 25, 1933, in the first St. Bernard's Hospital on Viola Street in Milbank, SD, and lived in Milbank nearly all her life. She was the first child of Charles Cornelius and Mary Lucille (Whittom) Burges, publishers of the Milbank Herald Advance.
She finished twelve years of school in Milbank, graduating as valedictorian in 1951. Joanne continued her education at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, earning academic honors in both her freshman and sophomore years with membership in Alpha Lamba Delta and Guidon. While at USD she joined Alpha Phi social sorority and was in the concert band where she met her future husband.
Her marriage to Lawrence "Andy" Andersen took place in Denison, Iowa, in 1953. Following marriage they moved to Arlington, SD, where Mr. Andersen taught instrumental and vocal music for five years. During those years Mrs. Andersen resumed her college career, studying at SDSU in Brookings for three quarters before completing her BA in English and Journalism at USD where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa before graduating with honors in the summer of 1958. The couple's two children, Charles and Mary Jo, were born during those years and Mrs. Andersen also taught piano.
When Mrs. Andersen's father died in 1957, the couple made plans to move to Milbank the following summer to join Mrs. Burges in the publishing business. In the years from 1958 until 1985, Mrs. Andersen was a reporter, photographer, columnist and editor of the award-winning newspaper. The Andersens took over ownership of the firm in 1971 and sold the business at the end of 1985 when Mrs. Andersen's deteriorating physical ability left her unable to work full-time. She had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1983 but later discovered the first symptoms had occurred in 1968. The Burges-Andersen family was honored for four generations of newspapering at the National Newspaper Association centennial convention in Minneapolis in September 1985.
Besides her business career, Mrs. Andersen was very active in the community. She continued to be involved in music as church organist at the Congregational UCC in the 60s and 70s and had also served in that capacity during high school.
She was a longtime member of the Milbank Community Club (now the Chamber of Commerce) and had served on program committees when the club met weekly.
Her lifetime interest in learning led her to join the Makocha Study Club in 1961, and she was an active participant in the nationally affiliated ESO reading program where she attained the Century One award (100 books read and reviewed) in the spring of 2000. She was a member of the Milbank Book Club that met monthly at the Andersen home for several years.
She had followed in the footsteps of her parents as an active participant in Masonic activities joining the Order of Eastern Star in Arlington, SD, on Nov. 9, 1955. She was an office-holder every year and was Worthy Matron twice in the Milbank Chapter, her first term being in 1965. At the conclusion of that year she helped establish the first Bethel of Job's Daughters, the Masonic order for young women, in Milbank, and was the chapter's Guardian for several years. One project was to make arrangements to host a foreign exchange student at Milbank High School. Ralph Gemeinder came to Milbank from Germany in 1969 and made his home for a year with the Jim Emanuel family. Exchange students have subsequently been attending school here annually.
Joanne had been an assistant den mother in Cub Scouts and had helped with Girl Scout service work occasionally. She and her husband had also been advisors for the church's Pilgrim Fellowship and had been members of the church couple's club.
Her other interests included sewing, knitting, and bridge. In the last few years after her bridge club disbanded, she had played a game of bridge on the internet daily and had a favorite partner in Nova Scotia.
She took a great interest in politics as did her family and had been County Committee Woman in the Republican Party in the late 50s and 60s. Her grandfather Burges had been county Republican chairman in Chippewa County, MN; her father had been Grant County chairman in Milbank and her sister Mary had been a Republican State Senator from Spink County for several terms.
After the Andersens retired from the newspaper business, Mrs. Andersen resumed her piano teaching and taught beginners for several years before retiring again.
As she matured, she realized how filled her life had been with blessings and she became a re-committed Christian.
The sources of her greatest satisfaction on earth were her husband, children, grandchildren, and only sister Mary. Their happiness and achievements far outdistanced anything she herself had ever accomplished.
Survivors include her husband Andy, Milbank; one son Charles and wife Amy, Kildeer, IL; one daughter M.J. Andersen and husband Andrew Nixon, Attleboro, MA; one grandson, Eric Andersen, and one granddaughter, Carrie Andersen, both of Kildeer, IL; one sister Mary McClure Bibby, Brookings, SD; one niece, Kelly Kyro and husband Alan, Maple Plain, MN; one great niece, Elisabeth Kyro, Maple Plain, MN; and one brother-in-law, Elton Andersen and wife Ruby, Riverside, CA.
Joanne was preceded in death by her parents.