Anna Lauritsen

Anna Mary Mildred Alice (Jensen) Lauritsen was born in Cameron Township of Audubon County, Iowa, on March 29, 1911. Anna was the 7th child of ten born to Valdemar and Thora (Nielsen) Jensen and was their first child born in America after emigrating from Denmark. She grew up on a farm and attended rural schools in Audubon County.
On March 14, 1931, she was united in marriage to Frederick Lauritsen at Shenandoah, Iowa. After their marriage, they started farming in Cameron Township during the Depression Era. After two years they moved to a farm east of Brayton, surviving the drought era of the early 1930s. The family then moved to a Sharon Township farm southwest of Audubon where they continued to farm until retirement in 1963. Anna lived in her little house with a porch swing in Atlantic until 1999, at which time she began living with her daughter, Beverly Maas. In 2006, she became a resident of the Griswold Care Center.

In 2011, she cherished the time spent with friends and family celebrating her 100th birthday. Anna enjoyed spending time gardening, quilting, embroidering, crocheting and fishing. But what she loved most was spending time with her family. She had an unlimited capacity for loving and the ability to love all her family unconditionally.


Anna passed away on October 2, 2013, at the Griswold Care Center at the age of 102 1/2.
Left to cherish her memory are her son, Kenneth Lauritsen and his wife, Janet of Trinidad, CO and daughter, Beverly Maas of Atlantic, IA. She is also survived by ten grandchildren: Susan Lauritsen-Morris and husband Pat of Rock Port, MO; Pamela Haer and husband Ronnie of Craig, MO; Juanita Monroe and husband Roy of Tyrone, OK; Roxane Blythe of Plaines, KS; Brently Maas of Sergeant Bluff, IA; Bradly Maas and wife Pamela of Washougal, WA; Donald Fuller of Minneapolis, MN; Douglas Fuller and wife Tanya of Pocola, OK; Gregory Phillips of Denver, CO. The nineteen surviving great-grandchildren are: Nickolaus Haer and wife Jessica of Maitland, MO; Andrew Haer and wife Ashley of La Plata, MO and Timothy Haer and wife Kally Jo of Graham, MO; Quniten Tibbetts and wife Kelli of Tahlequah, OK, Derick Tibbets and wife Ashley of Clovis NM; and Shayla Monroe of Tyone, OK; Sherell Christofferson of Plaines, KS; and Krystal Blythe of Burlington, IA; Anna and Blake Maas of Sergeant Bluff, IA; Paige and Jamie Maas of Washougal, WA; Sarah Fuller of Fort Smith, AR; Rachael Fuller Redman of San Diego, CA; John and Jared Fuller of CO; Kerry Murray and husband George of Minneapolis, MN; and Rhiona and Levi Phillips of Denver CO. Anna's eighteen great-great-grandchildren are: Mason Murray, Devin Murray, Aislynn Murray, Abbey Fuller, Zoey Fuller, Corbin Jones, Kaden Tibbetts, Kynzie Tibbetts, Isaac Haer, Elianna Haer, Jonah Haer, Isabella Haer, Cash Redman, Rayleece Brown, Otto Christofferson V, Hunter Christofferson, Jaxson Haer and Skylynn Tibbetts. She is also survived by many of her 66 nieces and nephews.

Her husband Frederick, two sons Bernard and David, a daughter Irene, a daughter-in-law Bernice, her parents Valdemar and Thora Jensen, parents-in-law Peter and Carrie Lauritsen, and grandson John Fuller preceded Anna in death. Also preceding her in death were brothers and sisters-in-law: Hans Jensen, Alfred Jensen, Ejner and Katherine Jensen, Walter and Gertrude Jensen; sisters and brothers-in-law: Carla and Marinus Wested, Christina and Lawrence Krogh, Gladys and Harry Bald, Mildred and Edward Isenhart and brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law: Anna and Peter Petersen, Benjamin and Lena Lauritsen, Adellia and Lars Madsen, Hellena and Ole Madsen, Theodore Lauritsen, Arthur and Dagny Lauritsen, Hilda Lauritsen, Grace and Clarence Reynolds, Clarence Lauritsen and Victor and Margaret Lauritsen.

Lunch and visitation will be held from Noon to 1:30 p.m. with funeral services at 2:00 p.m. at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Audubon, Iowa, on Tuesday, October 8, 2013.

Interment will be at Arlington Heights Cemetery in Audubon, Iowa.

Hockenberry Family Care in Atlantic, Iowa, is in charge of the arrangements.