Thelma Jean Anderson

Thelma Wilson was born on November 11, 1933, on a farm near Union Nebraska. Her parents were Bill and Agnes, and she was the eldest of the four children, with brothers Melvin and Bobby, and sister Ruby. Thelma was an active farm hand, milking cows by hand before and after school and helping with the farm chores. Thelma displayed strength and independence from an early age; shortly after she graduated high school, she took a bus to Omaha, intent on finding a job, walked into the first business she saw and was hired on the spot. She continued to work in Omaha for many years, primarily at Offutt Air Force Base, which was work she was quite proud but opted to keep somewhat private. Thelma and several of her friends could not drive and paid a local man to drive them each day, to and from work in Omaha. Thelma married her first husband Robert Norton in 1955. They met on Merit Beach in Linoma (between Lincoln and Omaha) where Robert was a lifeguard, and Thelma, well she was just being Thelma, and they connected. Robert was a physician, and they moved around for medical school and training for a few years. Son Steve was born in Nebraska in 1957, and Daughter Vicki was born in New Hampshire in 1961. The family eventually settled in Yutan, Nebraska in 1962 where Robert had a medical practice, with Thelma working at managing the practice for many years. Robert passed in 1975. Thelma began working at the Bank of Yutan some time in 1979, where she met and eventually married the Bank President Jim Anderson. While they worked together for several months, the story was a trip together to Omaha to purchase office supplies, was their first unofficial “date”. The couple married in 1980, with Jim having two children, Steve and Carole. The couple enjoyed many years of activities in Yutan and occasional trips. Both Jim and Thelma were active with the American Legion and VFW. They enjoyed spending time with grandchildren from her side, Chris, Cody, Katie, Kelsey, Jake and Megan and from Jim’s with Todd, Mark, Andrew, and Megan. Jim passed in 2019. Thelma lived with stepdaughter Carole for a few years in Yutan and eventually moved to an assisted living facility near Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, near her daughter Vicki. She only lived there for a few weeks before passing due physical complications of aging on July 29, 2025, at the age of 91. Thelma volunteered extensively throughout her life, with the American Legion, the Red Cross Blood Mobile, and with great pride at the Yutan Library, serving as head librarian for several years and remaining very involved with the Library Board throughout her life. The library was dedicated in her honor in 2015. Some of her favorite pastimes included watching Nebraska and Creighton Universities’ sports and the occasional Wheel of Fortune! Thelma was the last of her siblings to pass and she was preceded in death by both husbands: Robert and Jim, facts to which she often referred. She is survived by son Steve Norton, daughter Vicki Hunzeker, stepdaughter Carole Anderson and stepson Steve Anderson, her nine grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. A life well lived, and she will be missed. Visitation will take place from 9-11 AM Tuesday, August 5, 2025, with the funeral at 11 AM Tuesday at Reichmuth Funeral Home, Yutan. Interment will follow at Hollst Lawn Cemetery, Yutan. A lunch reception will be held at the Yutan Country Club after the burial. Memorial donations can be made to the Yutan Public Library or the Yutan Veterans Country Club.

Thelma Jean Anderson

November 11, 1933 - July 29, 2025