Linda (Taplin) Anderson

Linda (Taplin) Anderson, of Clear Lake, passed away Saturday October 31, 2015 at Hospice of North Iowa in Mason City.

Visitation service will be held 10:00 a.m. Saturday November 7, 2015,  the memorial service will be at 11:00 a.m. at Evangelical Free Church, 1310 US Highway 18 Clear Lake, with Pastors Dan Jordan and Randy Vaage officiating.  A church luncheon will following immediately after the service.

Memorial contributions may be directed to Linda Joy Anderson Memorial Fund, c/o Clear Lake Bank & Trust, 322 Main Ave.; Clear Lake 50428.

Linda Joy Taplin was born on August 21, 1955 to Donald and Alice (Day) Taplin of Hastings, Minnesota.  Linda spent her childhood years in Hastings where she attended First Baptist Church with her family.  Linda graduated from Hastings High School in 1973 and then attended Mankato State University from 1973-1974.  Linda graduated from Oak Hills Bible College in Bemidji, Minnesota and then worked at the college on two different occasions.  Linda also attended Granite Falls Vo-Tech College and graduated from the Optometric Assistant program and worked in that field for six years.

Linda married Tim Anderson of Moorhead, Minnesota, in 1983.  Tim died in 1985 during treatment for lymphoma.  Following Tim’s death, Linda moved back to the St. Paul area, working at Target and at Regions Hospital.  It was during this time that Linda started going on mission trips to Poland with International Messengers.

In 2000, Linda moved to Clear Lake, Iowa to work at headquarters of International Messengers in Clear Lake as the office manager.  Linda went on many mission trips to Eastern Europe during these years, with her most recent one occurring just this past summer to Alexandrea, Egypt.  Linda loved serving the missionaries that worked with International Messengers and going on mission trips where she impacted people all over the world. Linda loved the town of Clear Lake and affectionately referred to it as “Mayberry”.  She enjoyed the many activities offered in the Clear Lake area and could be found volunteering her time at many of the activities. Linda was deeply involved in her church as a youth leader and as a member of the Mission Board and was always a willing worker for anything that needed to be done.  Linda developed wonderful friendships in her neighborhood, in her church, the Aquabelle’s at the Boyer Pool, and in her yoga class.  Linda loved boating on Clear Lake and was always willing to take friends along with her for fun and fellowship. One of her favorite things to do in her recent years was to watch the moon rise over the lake.  Linda also enjoyed her feline friends that she had over the years;  Fluffy, Raina, Amorette, Darby, Belle and Velvet. The most important thing that Linda would want you to know is that she gave her life to God, trusting in His Son, Jesus, and His death on the cross as payment for her sins, and accepting Christ as her Savior.  Linda endeavored to live her life for Christ. Linda is preceded in death by her husband, Tim Anderson, brother, Bruce Taplin, and parents, Donald and Alice Taplin. Linda is survived by cousins living in Minnesota and New York and by her close friend Loree Wohlfarth of Kearney, Missouri and her family.  Linda was loved and will be missed greatly by her many friends from the Clear Lake Evangelical Free Church, her neighborhood, the Boyer Pool, Yoga and the general Clear Lake Community. Ward - Van Slyke Colonial Chapels, 101 North 4th Street, Clear Lake, 641-357-2193.ColonialChapels.com