IsaBelle Vierlyn “Isy” Anderson, age 94, passed away peacefully at the Burnett Medical Center in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
Isy was born on August 23, 1930, in the house on Riddler’s Mill Dam, north of Amery, Wisconsin. She was the fourth of five children of (Ira) Wayne Smith and Mable (Ellis) Smith. Her grandfather Leroy Smith lived with the family, providing her with many fond memories. The Smith family eventually moved to a house on Harriman Avenue where the children attended Amery schools.
Isy married Arling (Andy) Anderson on July 19, 1947. She gave birth to their daughter Vierlyn followed by Gwendolyn. Andy enlisted in the Air Force and was stationed in Cheyenne Wyoming, when their son Steven was born, followed by Alan. In 1957 the family bought a home in Arroyo Grande California, where their son Ricky was born. At the time, Isy worked for General Dynamics at Vandenberg Air Force Base, and she later held a variety of other factory jobs. In 1968 they returned to Wisconsin, living first in Milltown, and then Amery, where they ran the Northside Service Station and opened the Northside Grocery store. Isy ran the grocery store and did the book work for the service station. Near the end of 1972 they sold their businesses and moved to Lindstrom, Minnesota, and later bought a home in Ham Lake, Minnesota, where they remained until they retired.
In 1986, Andy and Isy were baptized as Jehovah Witnesses, and became loyal members of the Kingdom Hall for the remainder of their days.
After retirement, Andy and Isy moved to the old Lafolette School building east of Luck, Wisconsin. Together, they made and sold clocks under the name Anderson Specialties, until Andy’s passing in 1995. In 2000, Isy returned to Arroyo Grande where she lived with her daughter, Vierlyn. They later moved to Florida.
Around 2011, Isy moved to an apartment in Siren, Wisconsin, where she spent much of her time visiting friends and family, crocheting, and putting jigsaw puzzles together. When her health declined in 2023, she moved to the Continued Care Center of the Burnett Medical Center in Grantsburg.
Isy was preceded in death by her parents, Wayne and Mable Smith; brothers, Franklin, Leroy, Jesse, and Ira; her husband Andy; daughter, Vierlyn Conness; grandsons, Brian Conness, Jason Anderson, and Russel Gustafson. She is survived by her daughter, Gwen Strege; sons, Steven (Vicky), Alan, and Ricky Anderson; 14 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren; as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
A celebration of life for Isy will be held by the family at a later date.
Arrangements entrusted to Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home of Webster, Siren, and Grantsburg, Wisconsin.
