Mildred Elaine Anderson, age 86, of Owatonna, Minn. died Friday, Dec. 12, 2008 at the Homestead Hospice House.
Mildred was born April 15, 1922 in Kandiyohi, Minn. the daughter of Christian and Anna (Caspers) Ahlfs. She was raised and attended school in the Kandiyohi area and graduated from high school in Clara City, Minn.  She was united in marriage to Gudwin Anderson on Dec. 31, 1944 in Crow River Lutheran Church, Belgrade, Minn.  They lived in Belgrade before moving to Waite Park, Minn.  They then moved to St. Cloud and then to Austin, where she worked for Sears.  He died in 1975.  In 1978, Mildred moved to Roseville, Minn., where she continued to work for Sears. In 1998 she moved to Owatonna.
Mildred enjoyed reading, knitting, crocheting and traveling in her early years with her granddaughters.  She also enjoyed spending time with her family, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
She is survived by four sons: Don (Beverly) Anderson, Owatonna, Robert (Chong) Anderson, West Chester, Ohio, Dale ( Pat) Anderson, Anchorage, Alaska;  Kim ( Rhonda) Anderson, Steubensville, Ohio; two daughters: Marsha (Reb) Hanson-Bowman, Plymouth, Minn., Jan Smith, Owatonna; and a sister: Doris Grippo, Clearwater, Fla.  She is also survived by 17 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren and one great-great granddaughter.
She was preceded in death by her husband Gudwin, her parents, a brother, John and two sisters, Martha Carney and Evelyn Dahlgren.
Private family services will be held Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008 at St. John Lutheran Church with Pastor Dave Klawiter officiating. Interment will be in the Crow River Lutheran Cemetery in Belgrade at a later date.