BOONE, Iowa—Kathleen (Kathy) Ann Anderson, age 78, of Boone, Iowa, passed away peacefully with her four children by her side on Thursday, February 9, 2023 at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines.
Kathy was born on February 24, 1944, in Ames, Iowa, the daughter of Maxine (Sidney) and Frank Graves. She was a 1962 graduate of Boone High School and on November 16, 1962, she married the love of her life, Mark Anderson, of Pilot Mound. They were married for 51 years before his passing in 2014. Mark and Kathy quickly started their family after they married and over the next decade welcomed four children: Peggy, David, Julie, and Mary. She spent the following years raising children and farming with Mark at the family farm in Pilot Mound. They made an extraordinary team and enjoyed farming together with family until 1981 when Mark was diagnosed with a very rare blood disorder. For the next 33 years, she would serve as an exceptional caretaker and advocate for him.
In 1982, Kathy went to work for the Boone County Assessor’s office and years later became Deputy Assessor. In 1997, she was promoted to Boone County Assessor and would serve in that role until her retirement in December 2009. She also served on the Boone County Compensation Board until 2019. She was gentle and soft-spoken, but an advocate for all. She had an abundance of common sense which contributed to her being a strong leader and was unafraid to speak up for what was right and fair when necessary. She was smart, independent, a great listener, and a wise and trusted advisor to many.
Kathy enjoyed a wide range of interests. She loved Iowa State basketball, music, photography, baking, and cake decorating. An avid reader, she was very well read and was diligent about staying informed on politics worldwide. In childhood, she developed a love for gardening, flowers and plants. Her interest in flowers led to working at a friend’s floral shop creating beautiful floral arrangements and often contributed her talent by making arrangements for weddings and dances. She was also a talented seamstress and sewed clothes and custom draperies for others. She had a lifelong love of learning and we marveled at her ability to quickly master anything she set her mind to, especially the numerous DIY projects her and Mark tackled together. She was extremely resilient, capable and versatile. Like her mother before her, she was a woman ahead of her time. Among her many talents, Kathy was courageous and learned to operate the farm’s tractor and combine, drove the grain truck to the elevator, assisted with mechanical repairs, and helped with many aspects of farming.
Above all else, her family was her greatest joy. From her earliest memories, she was exceptionally close to her grandparents, parents, and siblings – a bond that would endure all her life. She would often say one of her greatest blessings was the close bond between her four children, as it mirrored the love she shared with her six siblings. As a mother she was selfless, supportive, and caring; in later years, grandchildren were a great source of pride and happiness for her. She deeply treasured them and delighted in their accomplishments and interests.
Kathy is preceded in death by her parents and husband, Mark; brother, David Graves; and son-in-law, Kevin Moody. She is survived by her children Peggy (Dennis) Diemer of Sycamore, IL; David (Yolanda) Anderson of Boone; Julie Moody (Chris Carter) of Pflugerville, TX; and Mary (Donnie) Bamburg of Georgetown, TX, and her grandchildren Sara and Jennifer Diemer, Allison and Hans Anderson, Jensen and Brooklyn Moody, and Ian and Erin Bamburg. She is also survived by her siblings Gloria (Al) Little, Rod (Tracy) Graves, Janna Petersen, Lori Myers, and Andrea Powers along with numerous brother-andsisters-in-law, nieces/nephews and great-nieces/nephews.
Kathy was not big on ceremony and, in accordance with her wishes, will be cremated and interred next to Mark at Bass Point Cemetery in rural Boone with a celebration of life service for extended family planned for a later date. If so inclined, our family would welcome any stories and memories of her that you would like to share with us through Schroeder-Reimers Memorial Chapel’s online guestbook at www.schroedermemorialchapel.com or cards may be mailed to the Family of Kathleen Anderson, c/o Schroeder-Reimers Memorial Chapel, P.O. Box 15, Boone, Iowa 50036.
In lieu of flowers or memorials to the family, we encourage memorials be directed to the Mayo Clinic, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, for the benefit of Mayo Clinic’s greatest needs or medical research. Donations can be made in memory of Kathy Anderson at https://philanthropy.mayoclinic.org/donateMC. Her children would like to extend a special thanks to Dr. Frantz and the entire Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic and staff at Mayo Clinic for their outstanding treatment and care of our cherished mother over the years.
