Natalie Anderson

Natalie ?Caroline? Anderson, 87, of St. Joseph, passed away Tuesday, March 11, 2003 at her home. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 11am, Saturday, March 15, at St. Matthew?s Lutheran Church, on the corner of Colfax and Kline, Benton Harbor, with Rev. Martin Weigand officiating. Burial will follow in North Shore Memory Gardens, Hagar Shores. Visitation is from 3-5pm and 7-9pm, Friday, March 14, at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph. Memorial donations may be made to St. Matthew?s Lutheran Church, Hospice At Home, or Animal Aid. Those wishing to share a memory or sign the guest book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com Natalie was born on February 16, 1916 to Emil and Otillie (Blum) Miller in Benton Harbor. She was the widow of Glen H. Anderson, Jr., whom she married on January 26, 1935, in South Bend. Natalie was called ?Sis? by her siblings, ?Aunt Sis? by nieces and nephews, ?Grandma Sweetie? by grandchildren, and ?Grandma Natalie? by the neighborhood children. She was a kind and loving person ready to share whatever she had and ready to help others no matter what the task required of her. She enjoyed gardening, working with flowers of all varieties and had a natural talent and a green thumb. Family gatherings were very important to Natalie, at holidays in particular, and she enjoyed preparing food for these events. Crocheting Afghans was a favorite activity and she selected special colors for each individual Afghan and gave them as gifts to family & friends. Natalie was an avid basketball fan of the Chicago Bulls, especially when Michael Jordan was playing and recently became a Wizard fan as Michael Jordan was still her favorite player. Natalie was a lifelong member of St. Matthew?s Church and was the first secretary of the church beginning with Pastor Wendland. Attending Church was very important to Natalie, and she looked forward to going every Sunday to renew her faith and friendships. She was very strong in her faith and that is what kept her going everyday. She will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved her, especially her family. Natalie is survived by her son Glen (Barbara) Anderson, of Okemos, MI; daughter Carol Hettig, of St. Joseph; 8 grandchildren ? Mark, Kip and Paul Anderson, Kristen Mauro, Kevin and Nancy Hettig, Kelly Woodworth, David Kreeger; 8 great-grandchildren ? Kayla Kreeger, Austin and Luke Anderson, Kyle Woodworth, Steven Bunch, Greta and Grant Mauro, and Amber Zygas; brothers – Leon (Diane) Miller of Benton Harbor, Albert (Lorraine) Miller of St. Joseph; and sister Elizabeth (Edwin) Dwan, of Dowagiac. She was preceded in death by her husband Glen on December 6, 1992.