Janie Trimm Anderson

Janie Trimm Anderson of Milford, KS, passed away on Sunday, 6 October 2024 at the age of 75, following complications from a severe illness. Janie was born in 1949 in Tuscaloosa, AL to Troy Trimm, Sr., and Margaret Speights, who preceded her in death. 

 The youngest of three siblings, Janie was the “baby” of the family, which her brother Troy, Jr., and sister Virginia never let her forget. She took an interest in music in school, playing the cymbals, bass drum, and french horn over six years of varsity band, and served as an officer in the band for four years. Her yearbooks boast her picture on the pages for the George Washington Citizenship Club, Future Homemakers of America, Pep Squad, and Girls’ Athletic Association. She graduated in 1967 from Tuscaloosa County High School in Northport, AL.

 Janie had two children; a daughter, Margaret (Maggie) Elizabeth, born in 1967, and a son, Joseph (Joe) William, born in 1980. In 1982, Janie met Tom Anderson while living in Dexheim, Germany, and they married when they returned to the States in 1983. They started their lives together in Fort Ord, California; it was here that Joe became an Anderson, and they later walked Maggie down the aisle. 

 The Andersons continued to see the world as the Army moved them around. They spent several more years in Germany, traveling as much as they could. They relished the European experience; they stood on the very beach Janie’s father assaulted on D-Day, they chiseled pieces from the Berlin Wall themselves, they toured Austrian salt mines, they vacationed in the Alps, and they checked the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben off their bucket lists.

 In 1991, the Andersons moved to Fort Drum in upstate New York. They continued to travel, touring all around New England whenever there wasn’t snow on the ground. Janie often remarked how beautiful she found the Maine coast, even when it was cold out. Janie threw herself into Boy Scouts with Joe and Tom as an adult leader, holding key positions in the leader committee. When Tom deployed to Somalia in 1993, Janie held down the fort at home and made sure she and Joe got by until his return.

 In 1995, the Andersons moved to Kansas, settling in a small town called Milford. Tom and Janie quickly fell in love with their quiet, country home, which was fortunately halfway between Alabama and Tom’s home state of Montana. Janie took a job on Fort Riley, where she continued working until the illness lead to her passing.

 Janie loved to work, loved having a sense of purpose. She spent more than 40 years of her life as a federal civil servant. Nestled among the immense collection of Alabama decor on her office walls were several awards, coins, and other certificates capturing the value of her effort and dedication. But it wasn't about the awards for her, it was the sense of purpose that made her eschew retirement, despite her son’s encouragement to stop and enjoy her golden years. 

 She was a dedicated leader for the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts for 22 years. Janie was as involved as any father was; she camped and hiked and cooked over a fire with the best of them. Even well after Joe left for college, Janie continued to serve their troop as a leader, helping with merit badges and fundraisers for kids who weren’t even hers. 

 Like a shark, Janie had to keep moving, even at home. The floors had to be swept, the grass had to be mowed, dogs had to be fed, the dishes had to be washed, and there were no words to make her stop. If you wanted to do something for her, you had to do it when she wasn't looking. She kept moving, all the way until an unexpected illness made her stop. Even as she recovered, her largest frustration was the inability to simply move and do something. She will be remembered as a woman who kept going until the very end.

 Through it all, the one constant was Janie’s love for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She insisted on flying home from Germany to see her grandson Joshua being born, and drove from New York to be there for her granddaughter Katie’s birth. After overcoming cancer, Janie frequently referred to her granddaughter Sydney as her lifeline. She loved her grand and great-grandchildren more than anything, and the walls of her house are covered in photographs of them as a testament to that love. She doted on them every chance she got, making excuses to drive hours out of the way just to see them, and constantly spoiled them whenever she could.

 Janie is survived by her husband of 41 years, Tom; and her son Joe and his wife, Kristen. She is also survived by her grandchildren Jesse Green and wife Allison, Jamie Badgwell, Josh Green, Katie Akins, Jadzia Anderson, Sydney Anderson, and Charlie Anderson; and her great-grandchildren Jackson Green, Grace Badgwell, Kyle Davis, Tucker Green, Baylee Lollar, Jacob Badgwell, Allie Rae Green, Archer Akins, and Arrow Akins. Janie leaves behind her sister, Virginia Ledbetter, as well as brothers and sisters in-law Buffy and Larry Woodring, Kay and Alan Charles, Susie Collins, Doris Trimm, and Jim and Christina Anderson. Janie is preceded in death by her parents Troy, Sr. and Margaret Trimm, her brother Troy, Jr., her daughter Margaret, and her father and mother in-law Richard Anderson and Joan Hill.

 Funeral services will be on Thursday, October 17, 2024 at 1:00 P.M. at Magnolia Chapel Funeral Home - South. Services will be led by "Brother" Rick Taylor. Viewing and visitation will be the same day, prior to the services, starting at 10:00 A.M.