Mrs. Janet Nell Downey "Jan" Anderson, age 98, of Madison, Indiana, was born December 29, 1925, in Batesville, Indiana, the daughter of the late Oscar Russell and Freida Amelia Zeits Downey. Her childhood was full of athletics and adventures, as she and her friends known as “the YaYas” hiked the woods and cooked breakfast over open fires before heading off to school. After graduating high school, she earned a bachelor's degree from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, where she was also crowned Alma Mater Queen. She later earned a Master’s Degree in Education from Indiana University in Bloomington.
She was united in marriage to Myrwin "Red" Anderson on December 26, 1948, in Batesville, Indiana. He was the new basketball/football coach and she was the PE teacher at Batesville High School; it was a perfect match. And the YaYas were among her bridesmaids. This happy union was blessed with two sons and three daughters. They moved to Madison, Indiana, in 1950 and raised their family there. She was a loving wife, mother, sister, grandmother, community leader, and long-suffering swim team parent who loved taking care of her family and community.
Jan taught for the Madison School system at both the junior high (downtown) and Central/Ryker’s Ridge Elementary School, where she helped lead class excursions to museums and cultural sites in Chicago and historical sites in southern Indiana. She was a member of Delta Zeta Sorority, a docent for Historic Madison, and she also served as chair of the Indiana Lung Association. She was a lifelong member of the Girl Scouts, beginning with her days with the YaYas in Batesville. As part of her Girl Scout role, she helped locate a property for a local camp, then co-founded and co-led the day camp program at Camp Whippoorwill in Madison for many years with her colleagues Delta Little and Dr. Marcella Modisett. Through their efforts, countless Girl Scouts got a small taste of the life that she and her friends had experienced in the woods of Batesville during her childhood. Professionally, she was a member and one time president of the Madison Teachers Association and a member of the Indiana State Teachers Association and the National Education Association.
Throughout her time in Madison, Jan was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church; she was also a member of Sanibel Community Church (SCC) in Sanibel, Florida, where she and Red had a home. At SCC, they contributed more than thirty years of service to maintaining the church’s fellowship program, organizing lunches, receptions, and community-building events for the entire congregation. Despite losing her Florida home to Hurricane Ian in 2022, with the help of her daughters, Jan managed to re-establish a Florida residence and return there for part of the last two winters.
Along with her many responsibilities, she also enjoyed cooking, sewing, crafts, and traveling. Her travels in recent years even took her to visit all of the YaYas from her childhood. Jan was the last surviving member of their lifelong sisterhood. In 2021, at age 95, she joined a more recently-established group of friends who call themselves the Sanibel Sisters and visited California, including San Francisco, the wine country, the redwoods, Mt. Diablo, and more. Jan’s zest for life and quest for adventure continued until her final days.
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A LOVING FAMILY
Jan will be missed by her daughters, Sherry Anderson of Lafayette, Indiana, Shelly Anderson Hamilton and her husband Steve of Madison, Indiana, and Shawny Anderson of Concord, California; her son, Kevin Anderson of Tucson, Arizona; her late son Kerry Anderson’s surviving partner, Dean Schmidt of Chicago, Illinois; her granddaughters, Katlin Anderson; Georgia Windsor and her husband Daniel; her grandson Drew Hamilton; four nieces, Kathleen Mustaine of Fort Myers, Florida, Ruth Ann Hunt of Edwardsport, Indiana, Sara Becher of Henryville, Indiana, and Leah Hamilton and her husband Scott of Evansville, IN; and a nephew, Robert Uhlmansiek and his wife Nancy of Camino Island, Washington. She was preceded in death by her husband, Myrwin "Red" Wright Anderson, who died August 30, 2020, her son, Kerry Anderson, who died in June 2008, her father, Oscar Russell Downey, her mother, Freida Amelia Zeits Downey, her sister Verna Uhlmansiek, her brother-in-law Robert Uhlmansiek, her brother-in-law Charles Hunt, sister-in-law Helen Hunt, nephew-in-law Mike Becher, nephew-in-law Max Mustaine, and nephew Charles Hunt.
MEMORIAL SERVICE
A memorial service will be held on Friday, May 10, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 412 West Main Street in downtown Madison, Indiana. (please use the Broadway Street entrance). A private committal service will be held at the Indiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 1415 North Gate Road in Madison, Indiana.
VISITATION
Friends may call Friday, May 10, 2024 from 3:00 p.m. until the time of service at the Trinity United Methodist Church, 412 West Main Street in downtown Madison, Indiana (please use the Broadway Street entrance).
MEMORIAL EXPRESSIONS
Memorial contributions may be made to Trinity United Methodist Church, Sanibel Community Church, or the MW Anderson Scholarship Fund. Cards will be available at the service. Online condolences, remembrances, and memorials can be left at www.morgan-nay.com.
