Loyce Nadine Anderson (Reifel)

Loyce Nadine Reifel Anderson died of natural causes in Delta, Colorado on September 20, 2018 at the age of 83.  A private family interment at the Delta Cemetery will be held next to Emery Anderson in the Veteran’s section, followed by the memorial service will be held Saturday, September 29, 2018 at 10 a.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, with Father Tom Seibert officiating.  A light luncheon will follow at St. Luke’s.

Loyce Nadine Reifel was born on September 8, 1935 in Watertown, South Dakota, to Ben and Alice Janet (Johnson) Reifel.  Her childhood was spent in several places, including the Pine Ridge Reservation and Erwin, South Dakota; Boston, Massachusetts, Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota; Texas…finally graduating from high school in 1953 at the National Cathedral Washington, D.C.   Loyce essentially attended thirteen different school by the time she graduated.  She attended South Dakota State University in Brookings, 1953-57, and graduated with dual bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and Home Economics. Through mutual friends, Loyce met Emery Anderson, who had returned from a two-year tour of duty with the Navy and was attending South Dakota State on the G.I. Bill.  They were married in Brookings, South Dakota on June 8, 1957.  After 51 years of marriage, Emery passed away on November 16, 2008.

Emery and Loyce had three daughters.  The family resided in Brookings, South Dakota; Bozeman, Montana; and, Fargo, North Dakota; Culbertson, Montana; Delta, Hesperus and Holyoke Colorado.  Emery retired in 1990 from the Colorado State Extension Service.  Loyce and Emery moved to Saratoga, Wyoming for a while, finally returning to Delta in 2002.

Loyce had been an active member of the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Delta, serving on Vestry and assisted with the yearly rummage sale.

Loyce was an avid reader, from an early age.  She easily read a book a day throughout her life.  She loved to sew and enjoyed knitting.  She was extremely creative – designing clothing for her three daughters and husband.  She loved to experiment with new recipes and was an amazing homemaker.  A great card player, she particularly enjoyed bridge and belonged to two bridge groups in Delta.  Our family often commented that Loyce was born with a winning hand in her fist as she emerged into the world!  Hard to beat, she loved strategy, keeping track of what others had played, and could organize cards with lightning speed!  She had a passion for teaching her grandchildren to play cards.  (Emery like to show them how to cheat, so that they could hold their own in a card game with her.)  In her prime, Loyce could read the newspaper (probably studying the bridge strategies posted in the society section) and do the crossword puzzle, knit and follow a pattern, and watch t.v. at the same time!  At times in her life, she was a decent golfer, and prided herself on better golf scores than Emery. She also was in a bowling league, and she and Emery were in a square dance group while living in Holyoke.  They loved traveling, Spending the first year of Emery’s retirement traveling throughout the United States and spent several weeks in Sweden.

Loyce was preceded in death by her parents, Ben and Alice Reifel, husband Emery G. Anderson (2008) and grandson, Justin C. Moss (2006).  She is survived by three daughters, Lisa K. Moss (Bill Moss) of Lander, Wyoming, Laurie E. of Delta, Colorado and Valerie J. Cox (Landon Cox) of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Loyce is also survived by six grandchildren:  Jaime Moss, Lander, Wyoming; Chaucenia Cox, Colorado Springs, Colorado; Alishaunia Cox, Boulder, Colorado; Tayanita Olavarria, Colorado Springs, Colorado; Nakoa Cox, Colorado Springs, Colorado; and, Ikechi E. of Delta, Colorado.

Crippin Funeral Home of Montrose, Colorado are assisting with Loyce Anderson’s memorial.  An Honorarium on behalf of Loyce Nadine Reifel Anderson has been set up with the South Dakota State University Foundation should you wish to contribute to either the Ben Reifel Memorial Fund or the Alice Janet Johnson Scholarship Fund.