Sharyl Anderson

Sharyl A. Anderson, 66, of Thompson, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on September 6, 2024, at University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City. A Celebration of Life will be held at the Hanson Nature Center, 41600 Hwy 69, Leland on Saturday, November 9, 2024 from 2-5 p.m.

Sharyl was born on April 28, 1958, in Albert Lea, Minnesota, to parents Arden and Carolyn (Russell) Liljedahl. She attended school in Northwood, graduating in 1976. Sharyl then attended and graduated from NIACC with a degree as a medical assistant. Sharyl worked for several years at the North Iowa Eye Clinic before marriage.

Sharyl was united in marriage to Steven Anderson on June 28, 1980, in Northwood. They enjoyed 44 years of marriage and worked side by side to complete many home improvement projects to turn their house into a home. Their marriage was blessed with two children, Britta and Alec. Following her marriage, Sharyl worked briefly at Winnebago Industries and then enjoyed the most rewarding and best time of her life being able to stay at home and raise her children. During this time, Sharyl operated an in-home daycare for many Thompson children, all of whom held a special place in her heart, and worked part-time at Tri-Corner in Thompson. Sharyl’s final professional endeavor was working as the administrative assistant for the Winnebago County Natural Resources Conservation District in Thompson for over 30 years. She always talked of how she loved her commute to work, which consisted of walking two blocks. Sharyl retired from her position in June 2023.

Sharyl was an avid reader and worked to instill her love of reading in her children and later her grandchildren. She served as a director of the Thompson Public Library for many years and most recently served as the board president. She was especially proud of the library remodeling project when they moved into their current location and had been working selflessly on a new addition.

Sharyl enjoyed gardening, hiking, sewing, jigsaw puzzles, working on projects with Steve, and was a big Elvis fan, but most important to her was making her house a loving home for her family. Never one to shy away from a road trip or a new destination, she always made time to visit her children and extended family across the country to bring a piece of home, whether it was with homemade cookies, a special visit for an event, or helping her children with their own home renovation projects. She was an animal lover through and through, caring for several adopted pets as well as looking after her children’s pets whenever they needed some extra care. She enjoyed challenging herself physically, earning a black belt in Taekwondo during Alec’s childhood and later running many 5K races with friends and family and completing a half marathon in St. Louis.

Sharyl is survived by husband, Steve Anderson of Thompson; children, Britta (Drew Hughes) Anderson of St. Louis, Missouri, and Alec (Jenna Frame) Anderson from Clinton; and grandchildren, Riley Hughes, Caden Frame, Drake Frame, Hudson Frame, Charleigh Frame, and Blakely Anderson. Sharyl loved her husband, children, and grandchildren with all of her heart. She was especially proud and happy becoming a grandmother. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her. Her smile and her laugh are irreplaceable to her family and friends.

She is survived by siblings, Dr. Ronald R. Liljedahl (Lorie), Sandra R. Madden, Susan M. Odden, Jacqueline E. Berg (John), Ricky Perschbacher, Bernard S. Thompson (Renee), Paul S. Thompson (Ramona), Jody S. Collins (Michael), Nicole Ochoa (Israel), In-laws Mary Anderson, Ron Anderson (Joyce), Don Anderson (Pam), John Anderson (Lana), and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Carolyn Thompson; stepfather, Stanley Thompson; sister, Nancy Hickman; brother-in-law, Marvin Hickman; brother-in-law, Gerald Anderson; and nephew, Cody Madden.