Shirley Andersen, 99, Fertile, MN, formerly of Beltrami, MN, passed away on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Fair Meadow Nursing Home in Fertile.
Shirley was born on October 12, 1923, to John W. and Clara M. (Drevland) Fritz on the home farm at Bath, SD. She was baptized and confirmed in the Bath Methodist Church.
Her siblings are Johnny Fritz, Beverly (Snooks) Benson, Roy (Bud) Fritz, Bonnie Richard, Evelyn Schroeder, and Donna Schmidt.
Shirley and Ted Andersen were married at the home farm on May 16, 1946. Their children are Craig (Sonja) Andersen, West Fargo, ND, Lynne (Mark) Gullickson, Fertile, MN, John (Darlene) Andersen, Fort Mohave, AZ, and Kim (Jill) Andersen, St. Hilare, MN. Shirley has seven grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Shirley graduated from Bath High School in 1941. She attended Aberdeen Business College in Aberdeen, SD. After college, she worked at the Aberdeen National Bank before she was married and worked until she had her first baby.
On Labor Day weekend 1951, they moved to Beltrami, MN, so Ted could be the manager of the Cenex LP Gas Plant in Beltrami. Shirley thought he was bringing her to the end of the world. This is where they raised their family and enjoyed living.
She joined the Beltrami United Methodist Church. She held many offices in the Women’s Society and church council. She was the Sunday School Superintendent and adult leader for the Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF). She belonged to Elizabeth Evening Circle. She and a few ladies from the church made the table decorations for their annual barbecue every year. She was a charter member of the Beltrami Garden Club which was started in 1957. She began working as a clerk at the Beltrami Post Office. She also worked as a floater at the Nielsville, Mentor, Crookston, and Euclid Post Offices.
She and Ted traveled together to all 48 states in the continental United States, Canada, and Mexico. They did several bus trips with friends and also took vacations with good friends during the winter months and would stop along the way to visit friends and relatives who lived in warmer areas.
She had many hobbies and was always ready to try new ones. She loved sewing and made many outfits and quilts. She could alter and figure out how to make clothes without patterns. Each of her grandchildren received a quilt for their graduations. She made Cabbage Patch dolls for her grandchildren. She loved painting. She did many folk-art things and even painted pictures. Ted would make wooden things and she would paint them. She crocheted, knitted, and did many other handcrafts.
Shirley loved roller skating in high school. When she dated Ted, they were quite the couple out on the roller-skating rink. When she worked at the bank during World War II, she was at the train station on bank business and ran into Clark Gable. This was a highlight for her!
Shirley always enjoyed making cakes for special occasions. She made birthday, wedding, confirmation, and graduation cakes for 25 years. Many local couples had their wedding cakes made by her. One of her famous cakes was a Volkswagen birthday cake for Bobby Vee!
Memorials are preferred to Fair Meadow Nursing Home Foundation or the Fairview Cemetery Fund.
Guests attending the visitation and funeral service are encouraged to wear purple in honor of Shirley’s favorite color.
Funeral: 11:00 AM, Tuesday, March 28, 2023, at Little Norway Lutheran Church, Fertile, MN.
Visitation: 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Monday, March 27, 2023, at Erikson-Vik-Ganje Funeral Home, Fertile, MN, with a prayer service to begin at 6:30 PM.
Interment: Fairview Cemetery, Beltrami, MN. (In late spring)
