Mary Lee Anderson January 12, 1932-June 9, 2024 Mary Lee Anderson passed away at the Central Nebraska Veterans Home in Kearney, NE on June 9th, 2024 with her children by her side.
She was 92 years old. She was born on January 12th, 1932 in Lincoln, NE to Bruce and Leola Hagemeister, the first of three children. The family lived in several states as she grew up, eventually settling in Hemingford, NE where Bruce had a grain elevator business. Mary Lee graduated from Hemingford High School in 1949 and then attended Colorado Women’s College in Denver. While traveling home from school, she met Herman Day (Bud) Oehlrich whom she married in 1950. They lived in California, Colorado, Nevada, and eventually settled in Gering, NE in 1968. They had 3 children Kurt, Kimberly, and Jan.
Mary Lee married Charles Wilbert Anderson on November 29, 1974. She worked as a receptionist in various medical offices in Gering and Scottsbluff and was a wonderful homemaker and mother. She was a life-long member of the Gering United Methodist church and she loved her cats, always having one to four cats as house mates. She enjoyed gardening, crafting, traveling, entertaining family, and reading. Lee was a collector of plates and anything with cardinals or cats. Mary Lee and Charlie moved to the Nebraska Veterans Home in Scottsbluff in 2017, and in 2019 they moved to the Central Nebraska Veterans Home in Kearney to be closer to their children.
Mary Lee is survived by her two siblings, John Hagemeister, and Anne (Mark) Pearson; son Kurt (Mary Ann) Oehlrich of Lake Mills, WI; daughter Kimberly (Craig) Charron of Grand Island, Ne; son-in-law Jerry Wiseman of Gering, NE; step children Robyn (Richard) Eberhard, Chris Anderson, and Tim Anderson all of Oregon; 9 grandchildren, 6 step grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents Bruce and Leola Hagemeister, husbands Herman (Bud) Oehlrich, and Charles Anderson, daughter Jan Wiseman, and sister-in-law Betty Hagemeister.
A memorial service was at the Kearney Veterans Home chapel on Monday, June 17, at 11:00 am. Memorial graveside will be at 1:30 pm on Friday, August 30 at the Nebraska Veterans Cemetery in Alliance, NE. Memorials in Mary Lee’s name are suggested to the Central Nebraska Veterans Home in Kearney Ne. Fond memories and condolences may be left at www.dugankramer.com. Dugan Kramer Funeral Chapel is assisting the family with services.