Rosella "Tootie" Anderson

Funeral services for Rosella 'Tootie' Anderson of Starbuck will be held Friday, November 14, 2025, at 11:00 am at the Minnewaska Lutheran Church in Starbuck. Visitation will be on Thursday, November 13, 2025, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Starbuck Funeral Home in Starbuck and for one hour prior to services at the church on Friday. Burial will be at Solem Lutheran Cemetery in rural Kensington, MN at a later date.

Rosella “Tootie” (Ward) Anderson laid down to rest on the evening of November 8th, 2025, after a long life of love, compassion, and service.

Tootie was born on January 16th, 1945, in Glenwood, MN to Joseph & Gladys (Aaberg) Ward. She grew up playing in the woods and hills of Glenwood and spent summers on the road with her family, following her dad through the plains of the Dakotas. She was baptized and confirmed at Glenwood Lutheran Church and made many happy memories with teachers and friends at Glenwood High School, graduating in 1963.

She moved to the Twin Cities after school and began working for Northwest Airlines as a reservationist. While home for a wedding, a young man asked her to dance and then for a date. A year later, on June 11, 1966, she married Ronald Dean Anderson, and they danced for nearly the next 60 years. Soon after the wedding, they moved to their farm in Kensington, MN where they raised crops, livestock, and their four children: Lisa, Deanne, Dean, and Rochelle. After many difficult yet joyful years on the farm, Ron, Tootie and Rochelle moved to Starbuck, MN in 1993.

Always finding ways to be of help and service, Tootie spent over 40 years guiding young children in schools in Hoffman, Kensington, Starbuck and Glenwood as a paraprofessional, not only taking joy in helping children learn new things, but also the joy in seeing the moment they understood! She was always a fixture in church. First, in Glenwood Lutheran learning and forming her faith, then in Solem Lutheran, teaching and leading the way, and finally, Minnewaska Lutheran where you could find her serving and supporting all who entered.

Tootie loved being of service to others and using her talents to brighten their days. She made countless cakes for weddings, birthdays, special occasions, and for no occasion at all! She created floral arrangements for many weddings. She had a recipe for everything, and if she didn’t, she could find one. You knew if Tootie made it, it would be delicious!

Tootie battled with chronic health issues for several years, always trying to keep a positive attitude, but nothing would keep her from her grandchildren’s school events and special occasions. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were her absolute pride and joy.

Tootie recently fell ill and was hospitalized. She spent her final days surrounded by the love and family she and Ron created. She is survived by her husband, Ron; her children, Lisa (Paul) Peterson, Deanne (Tim) Flom, Dean (Tara - girlfriend) Anderson, Rochelle (Wade) Ridgeway; grandchildren, Andrew, Kayla, Abby, Alan, Reanna, Brandon, Kaylee, Holly, Matthew, Connor, Isabelle, and Johnathan; great-grandchildren, Silas, Riley, Blake, Grady, Liam (with one on the way); and several sisters-and-brothers-in-law. She was preceded in death by her parents, mother-and-father-in-law, sister, Ardis, brothers, Roger and Aaron, sisters-in-law, Delores and Marion, and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Starbuck Funeral Home in Starbuck is in care of the arrangements for Tootie.