By Mike Schnitzel
"Mrs. Anderson was the epitome of what every nursery school teacher should be," said Linda Hurley, who worked with Anderson for five years. "She was young at heart, warm and caring. She instinctively knew if a child needed a hug."
In November, the faculty room at Grace United Methodist was named the Kari Anderson Room in honor of her decades of service to the school.
Diane Panzerino, director of the nursery school for the past 10 years, echoed the sentiments of many who knew Anderson, calling her generous and a pleasure to work with. "She was like a breath of fresh air," Panzerino said. "When you would go looking for her you would walk into a classroom and have to look down, because she'd be on the floor engaging [the children] in activities, helping them do puzzles or tying their shoes."
One of Anderson's definitive qualities was her ability to inspire trust in others, according to fellow nursery school teacher Maurlene Borman. "You could look at her and know that everything was going to be all right," Brown said. "She always told me that everything would come in time. Her word was golden."
Up until the end, Anderson was a fighter. She battled cancer for 15 months, trying treatments that were ahead of their time. "She was a warrior," said her daughter Carol Stolzenberg, a New York City teacher who inherited her mother's love of education. "She would do anything she could to beat cancer, and she never complained."
During her illness, Anderson continued to teach, a job she cherished, according to Stolzenberg. Colleagues were amazed by her resilience and vitality in the face of adversity. "I saw her a few months ago in King Kullen and she said she wasn't about to give up," Borman said. "She would keep going, and she never batted an eyelash no matter what happened. She just had so much energy."
Anderson's husband, Frank, a Valley Stream real estate broker, said that her ability to deal with adversity came in part from having living through the Nazi occupation of Norway during World War II. A native of Norway, Anderson immigrated to the United States with her mother and four siblings in 1950. "Her father was arrested as part of the resistance, and her mother was left with five children and a farm," Frank said. "Despite living through the Nazi occupation, she never harbored any ill will towards Germany. It made her a stronger person."
An enthusiastic educator and an engaging hostess, Anderson became active in local teacher and student exchange programs. People from all over the globe came to her home, which was often referred to as the International Arrival House because of the ethnic melting pot it frequently became, according to her family.
Anderson liked to stay in shape, walking three miles five days a week around the lake in A.J. Hendrickson Park. She also loved gardening and travel. "We went on a cruise north of the Arctic Circle, and recently we went to Alaska," her husband said. "She enjoyed seeing other parts of the world."
"Nothing baffled her," Stolzenberg said. "She was very strong, very courageous and very active in her church and community."
In addition to her husband, her daughter and Stolzenberg¹s husband, Brian, Anderson is survived by a son, Steven, and his wife, Lee Ann; her mother, Birgith Shorter, who will turn 100 in May; siblings Alice, Solveig and Trygve; and grandchildren Erik, Kristin, Scott and Jakob.
A memorial service will be held for Anderson on Jan. 13 at 11 a.m. at Grace United Methodist, 21 South Franklin Avenue. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Anderson's memory to the Grace United Methodist Church Book of Remembrance.
Comments about this story? MSchnitzel@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 265.
