Esther Barbara Anderson

Esther Anderson Jan. 3, 1922 - April 24, 2012
Esther Anderson
Esther Barbara Anderson, 90, of Dallas died April 24 in Dallas.
She was born in Elliot, N.D., to Carl and Mabel Yackley.
When she was 14 her father died, so Esther began working for families in the Lisbon area to help support her mother and siblings.
She graduated from Lisbon High School at age 16 and married Nels Anderson a year later on Oct. 7, 1939.
They lived in North Dakota until 1946 and had three children: Carole Anne, Connie and Jerry. In 1946 they moved to Oregon and Heppner, where Nels was the county extension agent for 19 years. There they had four more children: David, Doug, Chris and Richard.
With seven children Esther was a busy mom. Out of necessity she was a seamstress and a cook. She sewed beautifully and later every child and grandchild, 20 of those plus six more from blended families, had a quilt she made. Now her 50 great-grandchildren have quilts as well.
She was famous for the pies she baked that were sold at the Elks Club and Bucknam's Tavern in Heppner. She had a milk route until her health halted that, but she continued to sell milk from the back porch to regular customers.
Her boundless energy extended into her community activities as she served as president of the Heppner Mothers Club and the Morrow County School District Board. She was a 4-H leader and member of the Morrow County Fair Board among other things. Every summer she cooked at 4-H camp.
In 1965 Esther and Nels and the four younger boys headed to the Republic of Niger in West Africa. In their two years there Esther learned French and how to endure the heat. They returned to Oregon in 1967 and lived in Albany for a year until Nels was transferred to the Polk County Extension Service in Dallas.
They had one more two-year stint in Botswana in southern Africa. Esther worked for the U.S. Embassy while there.
Dallas became home and Esther and Nels lived in the same house for 43 years. Her interest was in her family, but she also worked at Morrison School in the library, helping children follow her passion for books.
She and Nels found time to travel extensively with their friends and family. She loved her garden and working on scrapbooks for her family. She never stopped sewing and the cookie jar was always full.
Family and friends will gather on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Restlawn Chapel on Salem-Dallas Highway to celebrate her life.
Contributions are suggested to Marion-Polk Food Share, 1660 Salem Industrial Drive NE, Salem, OR 97301, or the 4-H Center, 5390 4-H Road NW, Salem, OR 97304.