Date of Birth: July 10, 2023

Date of Death: August 14, 2023

Jean Marie (Torgeson) Anderson passed away in her sleep early on August 21, 2023 in Anthem, AZ, following a long struggle with cancer and dementia. She was 88 years old and had been under Hospice care for nearly 8 months at the Merrill Gardens Memory Care Facility. Jean was born in Wahpeton, ND, to Bill and Betty (O’Hearn) Torgeson on July 10, 1935. She attended St. John’s Elementary School in Wahpeton and graduated from Wahpeton Senior High School in 1953. After high school, she attended North Dakota State School of Science, where she completed secretarial training. She met Erwin Anderson, from “across the river” in Breckenridge, MN, during high school skating parties.They were married on September 1, 1956, and after that, she worked at First National Bank of Wahpeton while Erwin completed his degree in electrical engineering. The couple lived in various cities in Minnesota, New York, and California, while raising their 3 children. Jean especially enjoyed their years in Santa Clara, California, where they lived on a cul de sac with a close-knit community of neighbors who came together for coffee klatsches, pool parties, and other family activities. In 1971, they returned to the family home in Wahpeton, ND, where Erwin started a business and then became a teacher at the North Dakota State School of Science, and Jean worked as a secretary and program scheduler for KBMW Radio. During their years in Wahpeton, Jean enjoyed co-hosting numerous dinner parties and family gatherings, along with her mother, Betty. Family and friends always looked forward to bountiful Christmas eve celebrations at the Wahpeton house. After retirement, Jean and Erwin enjoyed travels to Hawaii, Ireland, Norway, and Finland. In 1997, they moved to Ottertail Lake, MN and spent their retirement years living in their lake home. In 2021, they moved to the Merrill Gardens assisted living community in Anthem, AZ. Jean is survived by her husband of nearly 67 years, Erwin, as well as her children Kevin (Debra), Anthem, AZ, Kari (Jory Oppenheimer), Seattle, WA, and Brian, Williston, ND. She leaves behind three grandchildren, Isaac Anderson (Haley), Anthem, AZ, Jonas Oppenheimer, Santa Cruz, CA, and Lina Oppenheimer, Seattle, WA, as well as two great-grandchildren, Jace and Josie Anderson. Her sister Mary Mangini (Joseph), Crosby, MN, brother Bill Torgeson (Judy), Lake Havasu City, AZ, and niece Maria Mangini (Mark Sprang), Maple Grove, MN also survive her. The family is grateful for the wonderful care Jean received from the staff of Merrill Gardens at Anthem, especially from the memory care staff of the Garden House. Thanks also goes to Laramie and the care team of United Hospice & Palliative Care of Arizona who provided compassionate hospice care in the last months of Jean’s life.

Service Information

Private burial will be at Our Lady of the Lakes Parish in Battle Lake, MN, on October 28th, 2023