Avis Marie Anderson, 79, of New Richland died Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015, at New Richland Care Center.  A funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Trinity Lutheran Church in New Richland.  Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at Bruss-Heitner Funeral Home in Wells and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday. Interment will be at Freeborn Cemetery and the Rev. Paul Andree will officiate. Bruss-Heitner Funeral Home of Wells is in charge of arrangements. Please see www.brussheitner.com to leave online condolences. 

Avis was born Sept. 2, 1935, in Albert Lea, the daughter of Alvin C. and Harriett (Jackson) Nelson. She graduated from Albert Lea High School and would later go on to receive vocational training for secretarial work.

She married Russell Anderson Jan. 18, 1969, in Albert Lea. She was a gifted musician, and music played an important part in her life. Growing up she played piano for her church and taught piano lessons for many years as an adult. She was secretary to the dean of the business office for Lea College, helping to both open and close the college. She also worked many years at Freeborn National Bank and then as a lead tester at E.F. Johnsons in Waseca.

Avis enjoyed a wide variety of arts and crafts, including ceramics, painting, crochet, Hardanger, counted cross stitch, cooking and baking. It gave her great pleasure to create something and then give it away to family and friends. Family was the single most important thing in her life. She loved unconditionally and would go to great lengths to help her family.

Avis is survived by Russ, her husband of 46 years; daughter, Ann (Jim) Feist, of Mankato; stepdaughters Caron Musorafite of Green River, New Jersey, Wendy (Tom) Weiczerak of Shark River Hills, New Jersey, Kerry Sullivan of Hendersonville,Tennessee, and Julie (Joe) Rodriguez of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; grandchildren Adam Feist (fiancee, Amber Blaschko) of Le Center, Ryan Natusch of New Jersey, Taylor Weiczerak of New Jersey, Kelly, JoJo and Nolan Rodriguez of Florida, and Patrick and Caitlyn Sullivan of Tennessee; siblings  Roger (Colleen) Nelson of Rochester and Jeanne (Tom) Stensrude of Madison Lake; along with many much loved nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her parents and daughter, Valerie.