Obituary: Susan (Sue) M. Anderson, 79, of Fort Atkinson

Susan (Sue) M. Anderson, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother of Fort Atkinson, 79, passed away peacefully surrounded by family at Blue Grotto/Vista West of Madison on Feb 23, 2023.  

Sue was born on March 15, 1943, in Chicago to John and Lillian (Lewis) Krismanick. Sue met the love of her life, Ronald (Ron) Anderson when they were 19 years old and married on July 20, 1963.  Together they explored the world, raised a family, and built a business (Anderson Machining Service, Inc. in Jefferson and Whitewater) that touched and supported many in the community over their 58 years together.  Sue’s motto in business, and life, was the “golden rule.”  She always considered how her actions impacted people around her in a positive way.

To know Sue was to be treated to her incredible warmth, generosity, and intelligence.  Sue loved a challenge, from teaching herself how to program CNC machines, to piecing thousands of quilt pieces, to her daily sudokus. No one in her family would doubt that she would succeed at anything she put her mind to.

Above all, Sue loved spending time with her family.  The consummate hostess, she and Ron made whipping up a feast for 20 look effortless.  In quieter moments, she was never happier than watching the sun go down over a body of water at the end of the day with her beloved husband.  Whether at their home on the Rock River, over Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, or on the gulf coast of Florida while hunting for petrified sharks’ teeth, Sue loved a good sunset.  More recently Sue and Ron would head to the “friendship bench” in Santa Monica, where they would watch the sun drop below the Pacific Ocean horizon and return home with stories of strangers who became friends as they sat on the bench with them and took in the colors at the end of the day.

 Sue is survived by her daughter Julie Anderson, sons Erik (Corina) Anderson, Matthew-Drazy (Laetitia) Anderson, and Kyle (Shawyn) Anderson, brothers John Krismanick and James Krismanick, sister Marian Gralski, grandchildren Ian, Seadna, Serra, Declin, Esme, Severn, and Luna. She is preceded by her loving husband Ronald (Ron) Anderson in 2022 and her brother Joseph Krismanick in 2020.  Sue is also survived by many, many photographs of sunsets she has taken over the years, from the curled and fading photos on peel-apart film to digital photos galore.  None truly compare to the beauty and light she brought to all around her.  We will hold her in our hearts and think of her with every technicolor twilight.

A small family ceremony is planned at Nitardy Funeral Home 1008 Madison Ave. Fort Atkinson, WI on Friday, March 3, 2023 at 11:00 a.m.  Friends may call at the funeral home on Friday from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service.  Sue will be interred at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Fort Atkinson.  Please feel free to add a photo of a favorite sunset on the tribute wall in Sue’s honor.  Online Condolences may be made at www.nitardyfuneralhome.com

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