Eugene Dale Anderson

Eugene “Gene” Anderson, age 72, of Albert Lea, Minnesota, passed away on December 21, 2025, after a 19-month battle with T-cell Leukemia, at his home surrounded by loved ones, his pets, and the warmth of his beloved Christmas lights. To those who knew him, he was the strongest man they knew: humble, steady, soft-spoken, and quick to joke.

A funeral service will be held at 11am on Saturday, December 27th at Ascension Lutheran Church in Albert Lea, MN. Visitation will be held from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm on Friday, December 26th at Bayview Freeborn Funeral Home, Albert Lea, MN and one hour prior to the funeral service.

Eugene Dale Anderson was born on September 8, 1953, in Albert Lea, Minnesota to Clarence and Arvilla (Urbain) Anderson. He lived most of his childhood at the “Homeplace” built by his parents in the ‘50s. Gene, or “Andy” as he was affectionately called in the service, joined the Army National Guard where he was a cook from 1971 to 1977. Gene married his high-school sweetheart, Irene Lindell, on June 14, 1972, at Grace Lutheran Church in Albert Lea. They lived for a short time in Albert Lea, but then moved outside of "town", where they made a home for their family across the road from Gene’s parents. Gene and his wife, along with Gene’s brother Curt and his wife Shirley, farmed for 15 years. They raised their 3 children: Tammy, Jesse and Andrew on the farm. Gene’s parents moved into town when they hung up their overalls, and Gene moved his family across the road to the “Homeplace” or as his grandkids now affectionately call “The Farm”.

Gene also worked doing various things including the Clark’s Grove and Hayward Elevators, Fountain Industries in Albert Lea and finally retiring from Streaters, in Albert Lea, where he worked for 30 years on the paint line and as a lead man. He liked to rub it in to his grandkids, Brandon, AJ and Ashley who all work at Lou-Rich in Albert Lea, that his line had to go over to Lou-Rich to show them how to paint!

Gene lived a life rooted in hard work and unwavering love for his family. A farmer, through and through, Gene enjoyed his John Deere tractors, helping Dave Paulson in the field in the spring and fall, and riding around with the dogs in his Gator. Eugene took pride in his lawn, don’t even THINK about parking on it. He enjoyed helping his daughter and son-in-law plant the garden and picking vegetables and fruits to have Tammy can. But weeding was not something he would volunteer for! He thoroughly enjoyed putting up his outside Christmas decorations, grumbling the whole time of course. Every night from Thanksgiving to New Year’s he’d call the dogs to go outside and plug them all in at 5pm and then again to unplug them all at 10 pm. He loved when the neighbors would say “My kids think Santa lives at your house.” He loved telling people that he won the Christmas decorating contest one year and when asked if he was going to buy more decorations he smiled and said, “oh, I’ll probably just pay the electric bill with it”

Gene was proud of all his kids, grandkids and great grandkids which he helped to raise with patience, strength, and gentle guidance. He was hands-on, teaching not only his children but also his grandchildren, life lessons like changing oil and furnace filters, plugging tires, and who to call if he couldn't fix it! It wasn’t unusual to hear him on the phone with AJ or Lane asking, “did you get that wall finished?”, “How’s the attic insulation coming?” and more recently calling John from his hospital bed, “did you check the shed roof for snow?”, “you’ll have to call and get the Gator in for that door.” He would also call Tammy daily and ask, “What’s for supper?”, whether he was at home or in the hospital. He instilled in his family a strong work ethic and the unwavering drive to help others, both animals and people! He volunteered his time as a playground attendant once, filling in for Irene when she was sick, at Hayward school. He housed countless dogs for the Humane Society, coached his kids’ Luther League softball team, ran the lutefisk dinner at Ascension for several years and helped wherever he was needed at any given place or time. He was known to check on friends and neighbors who were sick or elderly and didn’t have family nearby. He never missed a birthday call to any of his children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren.

Gene was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Irene Anderson; his children, Tammy (John) Krowiorz, of Albert Lea and Andy (Nyna) Anderson, of Mauldin, SC; daughter-in-law Rita Anderson, of Northwood, IA; 10 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren, 3 more great-grandchildren expected in 2026, along with many nieces, nephews, sister and brothers-in-law, cousins, and close friends, all of whom brought him endless joy and pride.

Gene is preceded in death by his son Jesse Anderson, grandson Micah Anderson, his parents, Arvilla and Clarence Anderson, father and mother-in-law, Norman and Bernadine Lindell and his brother Curtis Anderson.

Eugene’s legacy will live on in his family, the echoes of his laugh, and the countless quiet acts of strength and kindness he shared throughout his life. His Christmas gag gifts, wealth of knowledge, and fierce love for his family will be greatly missed. May he rest in peace.

Thank you to the health care teams at the VA both in Albert Lea and Minneapolis, especially the 3F ward who became family over the last year and a half, the ICU who took amazing care of Gene, and 3E ward who took great care of and advocated to get him home in his final days. Also, to St. Croix Hospice for working to get everything in place so quickly. Had it not been for them, he would not have been able to be home the last few days of his journey. We could not have asked for better care.

The service will be livestreamed on Bayview Freeborn Funeral Home's Facebook page using the following link:
https://www.facebook.com/share/1Cp9fHZWsr/