Sonja Marie Anderson

 

Sonja Anderson, 46, of Cherokee, Iowa died peacefully at her home Monday March 17, 2008  with her husband Todd and her parents at her side after a courageous 5 ½ year battle with cancer.  

 

Services will be on Thursday March 20 at 11:00 A.M. at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Cherokee, Iowa with Pastor Jim Steen officiating. Interment will be at the Oak Hill Cemetery , Cherokee, Iowa. A visitation will be held at the Greenwood Funeral Home, Cherokee on Wed. March 19 from 10:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M., with the family present from 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.  Online Condolences may be left at www.greenwoodfuneral.com.

 

Memorials may be directed to the family and will be used for new choir robes for Bethlehem Lutheran Church.

 

Sonja Marie Larson was born in Clarion, Iowa on March 10, 1962 to parents Ron and Anne Larson. She lived in Dows, Iowa until age 11 when she moved with her parents to a farm near Stanhope, Iowa. Sonja was a member of the South Hamilton High School class of 1980 in Jewell., Iowa. She later graduated from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota with the class of 1984 majoring in Elementary Education and receiving a minor in English. 

 

In May of 1984 Sonja began working as a clerk at the Webster City Kmart. From there Sonja went on to train at the Waterloo Kmart for the assistant manager's position.

 In October of 1985 Sonja moved to Cherokee after accepting a position as Assistant Manager of the Cherokee Kmart. Sonja was promoted to manager of Kmart in June of 1998 and continued in that position until the present. Sonja greatly enjoyed her work and associations in the business community. On Easter Sunday of 1987 Todd and Sonja met each other on a boating party at Storm Lake, Iowa and became good friends.  Sonja and Todd were married in Dows, Iowa on Oct 10, 1992.   

 

Sonja was a member of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Cherokee. She was a member of the Chamber of Commerce and was also the chair for the March of Dimes fundraisers through Kmart.

 

Sonja enjoyed annual trips to the Iowa State Fair and annual trips in October to the Mall of America.  Most of all she cherished her three vacations to five of the seven Hawaiian Islands in 2003, 2004, and 2005, with Maui being her favorite island.  While at home, she enjoyed eating her evening meals in the porch and enjoyed watching her favorite TV programs, American Idol and the Food Channel.  She also looked forward to her daily visits with her mom on the telephone, sometimes discussing recipes.  She enjoyed reading, flowering and gardening, and cooking.  She also liked spending her time baby sitting dogs, Ginger and Windsor. 

 

Mourning Sonja's loss are here husband, Todd; her parents, Ron and Anne Larson of Dows, Iowa; mother and father-in-law, Dennis and Patty Anderson of Larrabee, Iowa; brothers-in-law, Joel Anderson and his special friend, Dew Lindstrom, of Boise, Idaho; Scott Anderson and his wife, Jennifer, of Forsyth, Montana; a nephew, Cooper Anderson of Forsyth, Montana; Aunt Rosalie and Ron Locker of Slater, Iowa; Aunt Darlene and Duane Hetland of Minnetonka, Minnesota;  Uncle Ron and Pam Tesdell of Ankeny, Iowa;  and cousins Scott, Steve, Susan, Robert, Sarah, Elizabeth, Matt and Mike.

 

Preceding her in death were her grandparents, Aunt Linda Tesdell, Aunt Linda Larson and Uncle Fred Larson.