Susan Catherine Anderson

   Susan Catherine Anderson was born in St. Louis Missouri on March 10, 1945. She was the daughter of Robert Joseph Swenson and Catherine Margaret Erb.

   Susan is survived by her husband Karl, three children (Karla, Kristina, and Robert) and four grandchildren (Kirsten, Sonja, Heidi and Hanna).

   Susan and her family moved to Alhambra, California shortly after World War II.  As a very young girl, she contracted polio and was initially confined to an iron lung. Her family was quickly displeased with her medical treatment and removed Susan from the hospital.  She received rehabilitation with help from her parents. Susan’s mother applied the Sister Kenney method she had learned as a medical student at Washington University in St. Louis.  Although Susan’s left side was severely atrophied, she learned to use her back muscles to control her left arm.  Susan was a very determined young girl and would never allow the disability to limit her activities.

   Due to family complications never fully understood by Susan, she was transplanted to live with her grandparents, Henry and Marie Erb, on their farm near Auxvasse, Missouri.  Although separation from her family must have been traumatic, it was an experience that forever changed her life.  Susan grew to love her grandparents farm.  She learned to garden and the joy of raising chickens.

   Susan also enjoyed spending time with her beloved Aunt Dee Dee and Uncle Russell.  She had wonderful memories of attending the Shrine Circus in St. Louis while her uncle Ruddy played in the Shriner band.

   As a teenager, Susan returned to live with her family in Altadena, California.  There she attended Elliott Junior High School High School and graduated from Pasadena High School in 1963.

   After high school, Susan briefly attended Arizona State University and the University of Oslo in Norway.  She later attended Pasadena City College, UCLA, and studied interior design at Woodbury College in Los Angeles.

   About 1970, Susan met Karl Anderson, who lived in nearby Sierra Madre.  Shortly afterwards, she obtained a position as an interior designer.  Susan loved the work and excelled in her new career.

   Susan and Karl married on May 25, 1974.  At the time of their marriage, Karl was employed as an accountant at Solar International in San Diego.  The couple moved to rural Gopher Canyon near Vista in north San Diego County.  They were accompanied by the nanny goat, chickens and ducks they received as wedding gifts.  They grew a large vegetable garden and enjoyed living in the country.

   Susan found her new career as a housewife and mother.  On August 7, 1975, Susan gave birth to their daughter Karla Sue.  Anna Kristina was born on June 29, 1976.  Karl had recently passed the CPA exam and the young family moved to Palm Desert in August 1976.

   In 1979, Karl and Susan moved to Palm Springs.  Karl started his CPA practice shortly thereafter.  Their son Robert was born on Christmas Day 1980.

   In 1985, the family moved into their home on Via Altamira in Palm Springs where Susan lived until her passing.  When they purchased the property, the house and yards were a complete disaster.  However, Susan’s talents as an interior designer and gardener turned Van Johnson’s former residence into a stunning showcase.  The interior of the house was complete with gorgeous antiques and Susan’s rose gardens were spectacular.

   During their young married life, the couple dreamed of owning a farm.  They also shared a passion for collecting antiques and enjoying nature.

   In 2001, Karl located a farm for sale near Tionesta, Pennsylvania in the heart of the Allegheny National Forest.  Part of the attraction was that the farm was not far away from Karl’s hometown.  The couple acquired the dilapidated hundred and one acre property later that year.

   Susan spent the next several years overseeing the design and restoration of the farm.  Once again, Susan turned the property into a beautiful showcase of her talents.  They planted apple and pear orchards as well as a large blueberry field.  However, Susan’s love was her cottage garden and raising chickens.

   For more than twenty years, Susan spent nearly half of the year at her farm known as Ross Run Ranch.  She was accompanied by granddaughters Kirsten and Sonja.  They grew up riding horses, feeding chickens and life on the farm.  It was a wonderful experience that forever transformed the young girls.

   In the Fall of 2015, Susan was diagnosed with cancer.  During the next ten years, she dealt with chemotherapy and radiation as well as several other health issues and surgeries.

   Susan worked for Karl’s bankruptcy trustee practice when she was not on the farm.  In 2022, Susan’s physical condition began to rapidly deteriorate.  She was bedridden for nearly a year and a half prior to her death and was in constant pain.

   Although Susan’s body suffered, she continued to remotely manage the farm and foster new ideas.  On the eve of her 80th birthday, she was able to oversee the design and construction of raised bed gardens for her Palm Springs home.  Those who knew Susan would not be surprised that she gave Karl explicit instructions on what to plant and how to tend the plants in her raised bed gardens.

   Susan passed away on May 1, 2025.  She will be best remembered for her love of family, beautiful rose gardens and her creative talents as a designer.

   On the day prior to her passing, granddaughter Sonja gave a 2 ½ hour tour of Ross Run Ranch to  representatives from the Pennsylvania Preservation Department.  Susan’s farm had been nominated to be placed on the National Historic Register … a fitting tribute to Susan’s vision for restoration of Ross Run Ranch.

   A week prior to her death, Karl told  Susan that he wanted them to return to their farm.  Susan assured him they would make the trip.  Later this month, Susan will make that journey for burial on their farm.

   About 15 years ago, Karl purchased a 125 year-old cast iron cemetery fence from the Mt. Collins Cemetery in Tionesta.  The fence was falling down, nearly destroyed by the elements of nature and overgrown by trees and brush. The family friend who constructed Susan’s raised bed gardens (Kurt Bedford) is a talented metal sculpture artist.  He has enthusiastically offered to oversee restoration of the fence for a family cemetery where Susan will be interred.  This project is dedicated to Susan’s creative efforts in restoration of the farm and in memory of the love she shared with her family.

   Friends are welcome to attend a celebration of Susan’s life at the Anderson Family Cemetery located at Ross Run Ranch 15255 Route 666 Tionesta, PA 16353 on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at 11 am.  Arrangements are under the direction of the Norman J. Wimer Funeral Home of Tionesta.  In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to charities, including Forest County 4-H, 530 Elm Street, Tionesta, PA 16353; Forest County Historical Society, 206 Elm Street, P.O. Box 546, Tionesta, PA 16353; or Central Pennsylvania Horse Rescue, 100 Spangler Road, Lewisberry, PA 17339. Messages of sympathy may be left at www.wimerfuneralhome.com or find us on Facebook.