Jenene Anderson

The Life of Jenene (Pickrell) Anderson

Jenene was born on a farm in Rush County, Indiana. Her parents were James Clempson Pickrell and Louella Gertrude “Trudy” Miller Pickrell. Jenene accepted Jesus as her Savior when she was five years old in a little church in Tuscola, Illinois. She rejoiced in God’s faithfulness through her almost 64 years of life, her favorite verse being Psalm 23. Her grade school years were spent in the central Illinois towns of Tuscola and Charleston. After her freshman year of high school in Florida, her parents were divorced. She moved to Indiana to live with her maternal grandparents.

After graduating from high school in 1949, Jenene enlisted in the United States Air Force. She served as a cryptographer during the Korean War. She met and married Robert Eugene Anderson at Offutt A.F.B. in Omaha, Nebraska. After her marriage, Jenene received an honorable discharge. Bob continued his 20-year career in the Air Force. As an Air Force wife, Jenene traveled to Savannah, Georgia where her daughter, Cathy, and son, Stephen, were born. They were transferred to Washington, D.C., Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, and Massachusetts. Cathy and Steve learned early in life to appreciate the beauty of these United States.

Upon Bob’s retirement from the Air Force in 1967, they moved to Minnesota to be near his family. Through the years, Jenene was a clerical worker. The last ten years of her employment was at the Mankato State University College in Mankato, Minnesota. She worked in the college library and research department. By 1982, Cathy and Steve were grown and had left the nest. Bob grew restless. They realized that they both enjoyed traveling so they sold their house and moved permanently into a 23-foot-long Winnebago motorhome. They were “on the road again” for seven years. Jenene and Bob met many interesting people and saw more of the USA that they loved so much.

Bob was diagnosed with cancer in 1989. During the five years of his illness, they lived near McAllen, Texas, where he died in 1993. Since 1993, Jenene has lived in Colorado close to Steve. Jenene loved old hymns and gospel music. She was a church pianist and organist for many years. Researching the origin of old gospel hymns was a favorite hobby of hers.

Jenene was preceded in death by her parents and sister, Katie English. She has four grandchildren: Martin Grider, John Grider, Daniel Grider and Christy Rogers. Jenene has one remaining cousin, Joan Driscall. She has two nieces: Jamie English Klennert and Shari Anderson Earnes and their children. AND she has six great-grandchildren: Weather, Colleen, Paisley, Gadsden, Rowan and little Nell.