A Livestream and recording of the service is available by using https://www.mtmsales.net/thomas

Debbie was born on December 28, 1947 in St. Paul, MN to Tony and Marie Bartsch.  She passed away from Alzheimer's on January 28th, 2021 at 73 years old surrounded by her loving family.  She was the first of four children.  Debbie grew up on a farmstead near Esmond, ND, then moved to Renton, Washington.  At the age of 15, her family returned to Esmond, North Dakota.  There she met her, True North , Les Anderson.  They were married for 52 years.

During their time in Esmond, Les was given a lot of advice on how to get noticed by the "new girl" in town.  A close cousin told Les that if he wants to win Debbie's heart he needs to learn how to dance.  He took his cousin's advice and they have been happily dancing for the last 52 years.

Debbie touched the lives of everyone she met.  She devoted her life to her 2 daughters and 6 grandchildren.  She supported everything they wanted to do and was their biggest cheerleader.  Debbie made everyone feel special and loved in her own way.  Debbie also had a special bond with her 3 sisters.  They were very blessed to be able to go on yearly sister trips that always included food, shopping, laughter, adventures and lots of love.

Debbie did everything right with a very healthy life style. She was highly educated, lived with a healthy diet, exercised regularly, drank in moderation and was socially active. She had many great friends and a loving family. Alzheimer's takes a healthy person and destroys their life.

Debbie was an educator in the Minot Public Schools for 32 years. During her time as an educator she worked in the Title 1 Reading Program and was the District Coordinator for a number of years until she retired in 2002. She was selected as the first Title 1 Teacher of the Year by the state of North Dakota and the Department of Public Instruction. She was an advocate for reading programs and made presentations at the local, state and national levels.

In addition to her work as an educator, she volunteered with her husband and helped form the North Dakota Association of Student Activities, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which includes Student Council and National Honor Society at the High School and Middle School levels.  With Debbie's leadership and support, the organization grew from one state conference to three conferences with over 2,500 students attending each year. She worked with the 15 state officers and was like a second mother to many of the students. In her 41 years of involvement, she traveled with and supervised students in almost every major city in the country.

Debbie was a member of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church where she taught C.C.D. She especially enjoyed traveling, exercising, hiking, biking, golfing and entertaining family and friends.

The family expresses their gratitude to Leslie's sister, Judy Wilkerson, who helped care for Debbie at home until she was moved to a skilled nursing facility.  The family would also like to say they are forever grateful to the staff at the Trinity Nursing Home for the wonderful care they provided for Debbie.  They truly became part of Debbie's family.

Debbie is preceded in death by her parents, Tony and Marie Bartsch.  She is survived by her husband: Les Anderson; daughters: Jessica (Thor) Nelson of Minot and Jennifer (Josh) Noteboom of Olathe, Kansas; grandchildren: Hannah Nelson, Thor Nelson II, Odin Nelson, Rhone Nelson, Emma Noteboom and Olivia Noteboom; sisters: Barb Marthe', Toni (Bruce) Keating & Cindy (Dan) Zink; sister-in law: Judy Wilkerson, brothers in law: Bernard (Marilyn) Anderson and Lee Anderson and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Public Visitation: Monday, February 1, 2021 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Thomas Family Funeral Home, 304 South Main Street, Minot.  Family will be in attendance.

Public Mass of Christian Burial: Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. in Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church - Minot.  Please be aware that seating is limited due to current capacity restrictions.  A Livestream and recording of the service is available by using https://www.mtmsales.net/thomas

Public Celebration of Life Gathering for family and friends: February 2  from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Elevation - 1912 Valley Bluff, Minot.
In lieu of plants and flowers memorials are preferred to NDSAA - Debbie Anderson Memorial, 125 Slate Drive Suite 7, Bismarck, ND 58503

Debbie Anderson Flower Pictures