DIXIE L. ANDERSON, 85, of Cherokee, Iowa, passed away on Sunday evening, May 19, 2024 at Accura Healthcare in Cherokee, Iowa, surrounded by family.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, May 24, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at Oakdale Evangelical Free Church.  Pastor Andy Brown and Larry Ostercamp will officiate.  Burial will be in the Liberty Township Cemetery at rural Meriden, Iowa.  Visitation will be held on Thursday, May 23, 2024 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. with the family present from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa.  Services will be livestreamed on the Oakdale Evangelical Free Church website.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made in Dixie's honor to Food For the Soul Ministries, which provides meals to residents in the local communities.

Online condolences may be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com.

Dixie Lou (Nelson) Anderson, daughter of the late Guy Lewis and Esther Marguerite (Baird) Nelson was born June 17, 1938 on the first day of harvest, a busy time of year, on a farm near Mutual, Oklahoma.  Her dad's sister stayed for two weeks to help the new family.  Dixie was the firstborn of 3 daughters (Letha Joyce and Cindy Marguerite), and in her childhood she moved to Alva, OK in 1948 and Woodward, OK in 1952.  In the summer after her graduation from high school, a group of students from Westmar College visited Dixie's church in Woodward which solidified Dixie's plan to head to LeMars, Iowa to attend Westmar to study education.

In her second year of college, Dixie's younger sister Cindy was born and two months later their father died.  Dixie went home at the end of the semester to help her mother and worked in the telephone office.  She returned to Westmar and graduated in 1961, having done her student teaching in Sheldon, IA.

After graduation, she taught art and English in Paullina, IA for 4 years.  It was in the 4th year that she and some friends took notice of a group of young men who would come to Lange's Café on Sunday evenings.  That's where the story of Gust and Dixie Anderson began.

Dixie resigned from her teaching in Paullina to go to New Mexico to teach at McCurdy Mission School in Española, New Mexico for two years. Gust and Dixie exchanged many letters between New Mexico and Iowa, as well as meeting up in Oklahoma at Dixie's mother's house when possible.  In April of 1967, Dixie Nelson got engaged to Gust Anderson and they were married at Evangelical United Brethren Church in Woodward, Oklahoma on August 18th, the 60th anniversary of Dixie's Grandma and Grandpa Nelson. Dixie came down the aisle in a beautiful white dress made by her mother.  Her uncle Earl Nelson walked her down the aisle and her uncles Walter and Marvin Nelson performed the ceremony.

Dixie quickly excelled at being a farmer's wife in rural Cherokee – cooking for extras for noon meals (most notably her father-in-law), tending to a garden and many beautiful flower beds, and raising their children, Mark, Joel and Julie.

Dixie put her faith in Christ as a young girl and was known to serve in her church in many ways.  A longtime member of Oakdale Evangelical Free (Meriden, IA), she taught Sunday School, was a Deaconess, held various offices in Women's Ministry, and served as janitor alongside Gust for many years.  Dixie enjoyed missions trips to Mexico, New Orleans, and a special trip to Eswatini, Africa to be with Julie and Nosipho and see the ministry of Timbali Crafts and the women Julie served there.

Dixie loved painting.  In addition to having an easel up at home in the art room, Dixie enjoyed time painting with Jean Freed and the ladies at Maple Side.  Dixie and her dear friend Elaine Visscher worked together doing interior design and house painting around the neighboring towns for many years.

As a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, Dixie took pleasure in attending the many ball games, school plays, Grand Marches, graduations, and weddings of her children and grandchildren.

Dixie passed peacefully on Sunday, May 19 surrounded by Gust and the family of Joel & Charity Anderson.  She is survived by her dear husband Gust Elving; her children Mark (Karen) Anderson and grandchildren Ruth, Ed and Nora; ,Julie Anderson and granddaughter Nosipho Elizabeth; and Joel (Charity) Anderson and granddaughters Lily (Luke) Hughes, Grace (Kip Cullinan), Ava, and Elise; her sisters and brothers-in-law, Joyce (Glenn) Trost and Cindy (Carson) Wright, two nieces, one nephew, and many dear friends.