Funeral services for Thelma M. Anderson, age 89 of Lemmon, will be held at 10:00 a.m. April 9, 2009, at the Prince of Peace Chapel of the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon. Neale Lorius will officiate and burial will be held at 3:00 p.m. MT at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis.


A family service will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday evening at the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home.


Special music will be provided by Marilyn Willey.


Serving as casketbearers are her grandsons, Steve, Todd, Kirk, Luke, and Kent Anderson, and Allan Rieb. All friends are considered Honorary Bearers.


THELMA MARY PATRICIA STUBBS was born March 1, 1920 in Harrow Middlesex, England. She was one of three children born to Arthur Cecil and Kathleen Ellen (Andrew) Stubbs. She started school at age 3 and graduated from Finishing School at age 15. Thelma went to work at a catering firm J. Lyons & Company where she was head salesperson. She was conscripted by the British Army in August of 1942 at Harrow Gate, England. Thelma served as an Anti-aircraft Gunner for the Royal British Artillery. The guns were situated on cliffs overlooking the ocean. She received numerous pins for enemy aircraft destroyd.


Serving overseas during World War II was Leo J. Anderson, whom Thelma met on a blind date. They were married on December 8, 1945 in a bombed out church in London, England. Her husband Leo returned to the United States on the Queen Mary and Thelma came to the United States on a troop carrier arriving in New York City in June of 1946. She traveled to Minnesota where she was met by her husband. Thelma and Leo went to Montana where they worked on ranches. Three children were born to this union, David, Robert, and Kathy. In 1952, they returned to South Dakota and purchased a ranch near Shadehill, ranching there until moving to Newell, SD in 1970. There Leo worked for Butte County and the SD Department of Highways. Thelma was a fulltime stay at home mom. They both worked at the Black Hills Workshop in Newell where Thelma taught cooking classes and cooked the meals, and Leo taught the boys about ranching.


In 1989, they moved to Lemmon to spend their retirement years together, but spent the winter months in Arizona. In March of 1993, she moved to Iowa to live closer to her daughter, returning to Lemmon in September of 2007. Since then she resided at Five Counties Nursing Home. She passed from this life at the West River Regional Medical Center on Monday morning, April 6, 2009 at the age of 89 years, 1 month, 5 days.


Thelma was a devoted wife and mother and she enjoyed the many happy hours with her family. She was a 4-H Leader, enjoyed listening to music, knitting, reading, and feeding birds. She enjoyed many hours of entertainment with her pet dogs and parakeets. She had hot tea every morning in bed served by her husband, and 3:00 in the afternoon was always break time for hot tea and a snack.


Keeping her in their fondest memories are her daughter, Kathy Rieb, Omaha, NE; 2 sons and daughters-in-law, Dave and Judy Anderson, Robert and Mavis Anderson, all of Lemmon, SD, 10 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren, and a nephew, Richard Stubbs in London, England.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband December 2, 1993, 2 brothers, John and Richard Stubbs.


In lieu of flowers a memorial has been established.


Visitation will be on Wednesday, April 8, 2009 from 1:00 to 9:00