Jean "Ellen" Bennett Anderson

As you dig through your cupboards to find that missing lid, smile.  So many of us that were blessed to be a part of this woman’s life will forever find that lid.  You know the one, the one with the cursive E sprawled across the top in black sharpie.  Permanent and larger than life, exactly how she will remain in our memories and in our hearts.  Jean “Ellen” Anderson was a gift and a joy to everyone she came in contact with.  Daughter, sister, friend, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt.  None of these labels do her justice, she was and will forever be so much more.  She was a woman with a zest for life on her own terms, a woman who lived and loved with passion and grace and a wit that could drop a grown man into tears of laughter. She instilled in all of us quiet (some of us not so quiet) determination, pride and more than anything love and loyalty to family.  One of the greatest lessons she taught was that family was defined by love, not by blood, and we embrace this lesson with the love we share in the largest ‘family’ around.  Ellen’s spirit took flight on June 24, 2016 while at home with her loved ones. This spirit is carried on in every member of her very large and extended family.  She was born May 12^th and would never want it publically disclosed what year. She has been 49 for 30+ years and a true gentleman never asks a ladies age. As a young woman, Ellen met and married James Swanson and together they had four children; Rizae, Carla, Jim and Jeana.  Later in life, she met and married the man who would be her rock and the love of her life, Jim Anderson, and became a mother to nine more children, Dan, Doug, Dave, Dean, Jean, Theresa, Carla, Clifford and Doug Scott ‘Woody’.  She was tremendously proud of her “Bakers Dozen” and it was during these times that she ingrained in all of us the true meaning of family.  This large family embarked on a number of adventures over the years but she was the happiest when running the various restaurants and hospitality ventures they took on.  She had a knack for being able to make people comfortable and bringing joy to the dinner table.  Her kitchen was always sunny and cheerful and anyone was welcome, whether simply to have a cup of coffee or an impromptu meal for 20.  Over the years, that baker’s dozen created large families of their own and she adored all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren and thrived on the chaos they created during summers at the golf course.  She was so very proud of everyone and in later years when she moved back to her childhood home in West Virginia, she loved nothing more than getting pictures on Facebook and watching generation after generation thrive and grow.  She was an avid collector of ‘junk’, especially junk the color of sunshine as anyone who has been in her home can attest.  The walls and shelves were lovingly filled with her thrift store finds of yellow bottles and jars and knick knacks and sunflowers, never a speck of dust.  On the gloomiest of days, one simply needed to step inside her home and between the sunny decor, the warmth and more often than not, the smell of something delicious emanating from the stove, it was impossible to leave without a smile on your face and a full belly, along with stern advice given with hugs and humor.  Her sage wisdom was always imparted with humor and love, and she loved having her family around, especially at the cabin in Twin Lakes.  This was the place her spirit called home and where she spent so many happy years surrounded by loved ones, wrapping up leftovers and sending everyone home with Tupperware containers with a giant E.  She knew she would probably never get those back but she sent a bit of herself home with us every single time.  She wiped many a tear but was never one to encourage self - pity.  She was the eye of a tornado, the calm that enabled us to weather the storms in life, the life preserver on a storm tossed sea.  Mixed in with her advice were lessons to be learned; owning up to your mistakes, taking responsibility for who you are and setting goals for where you want to be.  She was a stickler for looking your best and wouldn’t be caught dead in mismatched colors, patterns or even fabrics and made sure we knew never to wear white except between Memorial and Labor Day.  Even her pajamas were hemmed and matched. She taught us to fix things rather than throw them away and how to make a dollar stretch when times were tough. She was not simply great grandma to her great grandkids, she was Grandma Great!  Words cannot begin to describe the woman she was or the impact she had.  She was preceded in death by her sons Doug and Dean and her heart, her love and best friend Jim Anderson. We know that they have been reunited and her spirit is soaring and joyous.  When you see a yellow butterfly or a patch of sunflowers or hear the birds singing or catch a whiff of White Diamonds, rest assured that she is near and is gently placing her hand on your arm to let you know she sees you and she loves you.  When you find that Tupperware lid with the permanent E, smile and rejoice for the life she lived and the love she bestowed.  She didn’t want a funeral, she wanted a going away party at the lake where all of her loved ones could mingle and laugh and reminisce and after a couple of hours, suck it up and get back to living; shoulders back and posture straight.  There has never been, nor will there ever be, another like her.  God Speed Big E, keep that table in Heaven ready for us to join you when it’s our time.