Lona Mae (Lien) Anderson

 

Lona Mae (Lien) Anderson, 91, of Decorah, formerly of Calmar, passed away peacefully at her home in West Union, Feb. 14, 2026, surrounded by her sons, Steve and Jim, following a long battle with Lewy Body Dementia.

Funeral Services were set for 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 20, at Decorah Lutheran Church, 309 Winnebago Street, Decorah, with the Rev. Eric Thiele presiding and burial in the Springfield cemetery with visitation from 10 a.m. until the time of the service at the church Friday morning.

Lona Mae Lien was born May 2, 1934, in Calmar,, to Carl and Gladys (Hogenson) Lien. She was baptized and confirmed at Springfield Lutheran Church in rural Decorah and graduated from Calmar High School in 1953, where she sang in Glee Club and Chorus and served as a senior homecoming attendant. After graduation, she worked as a bookkeeper for Anundsen Publishing Company in Decorah.

She married Robert D. (Bob) Anderson March 1, 1958 at Springfield Lutheran Church. Together they raised two sons, Steve and Jim. After Bob was disabled in a car accident, Lona went to work at Deco Products and took on additional jobs to help support the family. Later, she and Bob worked as custodians at Decorah Lutheran Church, where she took special pride in tending the church’s many plants.

Faith was the foundation of Lona’s life. A lifelong member of Decorah Lutheran Church, she lived her beliefs quietly but steadfastly. She was a devoted wife and mother who offered steady love, practical wisdom, and unwavering support.

Lona’s personality was as memorable as her life experiences. As a young woman, she loved roller skating and sang on the radio with her sister Joan as “The Lien Sisters.” Years later, she and Bob spent a summer trapping ground squirrels for one of their son’s college research projects—an adventure she never forgot. She enjoyed playing the slot machines at “The Boat” in Marquette and loved traveling to visit her sons, proudly noting that she had been through 23 different airports.

She was kind and intelligent, with a quiet strength. She had a dry, sometimes snarky sense of humor and could catch you off guard with a perfectly timed remark. In her final years, she especially enjoyed simple car rides through the countryside of Northeast Iowa, admiring the beauty she had always called home.

Lona is survived by her sons, Dr. Stephen Anderson and James Anderson of West Union, Iowa; her sister, Joan (Milfred) Nelson; her sister-in-law, Pat Lien, both of Decorah; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Robert D. (Bob) Anderson; her parents; her brother, David Lien; her father- and mother-in-law, Juel and Hazel Anderson; her brother-in-law, Gordon Anderson; and her sister-in-law, Beverly (Merlin) Tangen.