Jolene Anderson

Jolene Anderson, age 75, of Fosston, MN, passed away unexpectedly at her winter home in Mesa, AZ. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 1^st, at New Journey Church in Fosston with Pastor Jarred LeBon officiating. Interment will be in Rosehill Cemetery, Fosston, in the spring. Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. with a 7:00 p.m. prayer service on Friday, March 31^st, at the Carlin Funeral Home in Fosston. There will also be reviewal for one hour prior to the service on Saturday at the church. Arrangements are with Carlin Family Funeral Service of Fosston and messages of condolence may be shared at www.carlinfuneral.com.

Jolene Ann Anderson (nee Jacob) entered the presence of her Lord on Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Mesa, Arizona.

Jolene was born on August 10, 1947, to Lloyd and Laura (Stover) Jacob in Postville, Iowa. In 1949 the family moved to her grandfather’s farm near Sheffield, Iowa where Jolene would grow up with her sisters, Kathy and Anita. Jolene attended one year of country school near the farm before eventually attending and graduating from Sheffield-Chapin with the Class of 1965. Jolene had a kind and fun-loving spirit, and she loved to laugh. She was highly active in her church, Grace Baptist (now First Grace). At an early age Jolene developed a deep love and talent for music, which would continue to be a passion throughout her life. She started out in her school band playing clarinet and oboe, she sang in school and church choirs, participated in a girls’ trio, and became very proficient with organ and piano.

Jolene went on to attend Bethel College (now Bethel University) in St. Paul, Minnesota. While in college, she met Neal James Anderson who would eventually become her lifelong partner in marriage and life. During this time, Jolene was employed at IBM in Minneapolis.

Jolene married Neal on December 23, 1967 in Sheffield, Iowa. They made their first home in Nashville, Tennessee, where Neal served in the Coast Guard. Jolene continued to work for IBM in Nashville.

After Neal’s discharge in the spring of 1971 they moved to Eden Township, rural Fosston, Minnesota. Jolene was employed at Koehler Floral, First National Bank, Twin City Federal and AgCountry Farm Credit Services. She was a Loan Service Specialist at AgCountry and retired in 2013 after 23 years of service.

Neal and Jolene were blessed with five children: Lisa, Jason, Nathan, John, and Amy. They were also blessed with three teenage foster children: Mavis, Victor, and Doug Cavalier.

Jolene was gifted with many talents and was deeply generous. Because of this, she served her home, church, and local and global communities in several ways. Jolene was an active member of New Journey Church in Fosston and was the pianist/organist and financial secretary for many years. She was also involved in women’s and children’s ministries and the quilter’s group. She was a member of the Eden Homemakers club. Jolene was a powerful role model and was invited as a guest speaker for Christian Women’s Clubs in Minnesota and North Dakota and enjoyed sharing her gift of music singing and playing in local area churches, often alongside her sister Anita. Jolene’s love for music extended to passing along that passion through piano lessons for many years. Beyond her music, Jolene was also an expert seamstress and quilter.

Neal and Jolene shared a deep love and passion for the people of Ukraine. They traveled there many times to invest in the local communities, both economically and spiritually, and built wonderful relationships with the people they met. These were life-giving opportunities for Jolene, who expressed such joy about her experiences and friendships.

For the past nine years Neal and Jolene have enjoyed wintering in Mesa, Arizona. An added blessing occurred when her sister Anita and brother-in-law Paul moved in across the backyard to keep things fun!

Jolene was a strong Christian woman who weathered many storms in life, leaning on her Savior, Jesus Christ, for His strength to carry her through every trial. She was a powerful example of resiliency and always knew how to find joy and laughter in life – and never lost that mischievous twinkle in her eye. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, and the truest of friends.

She is survived by her husband, Neal Anderson, three sons, Jason Anderson, Nathan Anderson, John (Rebecca) Anderson, Doug (Joanne) Cavalier, eight grandchildren, six great grandchildren, her sister, Anita (Paul) Hauser, and brother-in-law, Robert Dowling, as well as many beloved friends, cousins, and in-laws. She was preceded in death by her parents, two daughters, Lisa and Amy, Mavis (Cavalier) Davis, Victor Cavalier, grandson, Joshua, and sister, Kathleen (Robert) Dowling.