Sylva Lorraine Anderson (nee Swenson) was born to Adolph J. Swenson and R. Katherine Swenson (nee Wahl) on February 8, 1924, in Gilman Township near Spring Valley, Wisconsin. She was the youngest of four Swenson children; siblings Ben, Alice, and Thelma.
As a young person, Sylva attended schools in the Spring Valley district, first at the rural Gilman Center school and then the Spring Valley High School, graduating with the class of 1942. Following high school, Sylva attended River Falls College earning a three-year teacher’s degree. Afterwards she would begin her career teaching 6th grade in Spring Valley.
On July 27, 1948, she married Allen Anderson, also a Spring Valley alumnus. Allen was attending college and upon his graduation in 1949, the Andersons moved to Washburn, Wisconsin. He would be a teacher/elementary principal while Sylva became a stay-at-home mother, raising sons Jon and Steven while also performing substitute teaching roles. The next stop for the Andersons was Hudson, Wisconsin where Allen was elementary principal at the E.P. Rock School. Upon the death of Sylva’s father, the family returned to Spring Valley, once more with Allen holding positions as teacher and elementary principal. In these many years, Sylva did substitute teaching.
In 1967, Sylva returned to college full time at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls, to complete her Bachelor of Education degree. After graduation Sylva was hired by the Baldwin-Woodville Schools as a 6th grade teacher. In 1991, Sylva retired from teaching. Throughout Allen’s career, he had been active in educational endeavors, later becoming the president of the Wisconsin Education Association in the early 1960s. Because of Allen’s educational committee involvement, he and Sylva would frequently travel throughout the United States.
Subsequent to Sylva’s father passing away, Allen and Sylva purchased her home farm. Both Sylva and Allen continued teaching while living in Spring Valley, where they continued to be very active in community and church life. In the early 1970s, the couple decided to renovate the farmhouse and move to the farm in August 1975. The farmhouse would be Sylva’s home until January 2025, when health issues necessitated moving to the Spring Valley Nursing Home, where she passed away on July 8, 2025.
Preceding Sylva in death were her parents, husband Allen, daughter-in-law Bobbie Anderson, siblings Ben (Inez) Swenson, Alice (Clarence) Madson, Thelma (Oscar) Gunderson, parents-in-law Andrew and Amelia Anderson, sister-in-law and husband Marion (Jorgen) Albrigtson, brother-in-law and wife Clark (Mary Ellen) Anderson, nieces Beverly Gaard, Janice Hoppe, nephews Gary Madson, Wayne Albrigtson, Lyness Anderson.
Survivors are sons Jon (Linda) Anderson, Steven Anderson, grandchildren Kim (John) Serene, Kris (Dennis) Rondeau and Katie Anderson, great grandchildren Jayden, Carter and Lucas Serene, Declan and Sydney Rondeau, plus many nieces and nephews.
Funeral service was on Monday, July 14, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Spring Valley.
Visitation for Sylva was on Sunday, July 13, 2025, from 4-6 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Spring Valley and also on Monday for one hour prior to the service.
Burial will be in Gilman Lutheran Cemetery, Spring Valley, Wisconsin.
Keehr Funeral Home, (keehrfuneralhome.com) Spring Valley, is handling arrangements.
