Marsha Anderson

Marsha Anne Gantz Andersona�"71 years olda�"Lafayette, IN, Denali Park, AK, & the Rest of the World


Born July 12, 1944 to John & Mary Jo Gantz at Scott Air Force Base near Belleville, IL
Passed peacefully and comfortably at her home in Lafayette, IN on April 23, 2016, surrounded by family and friends

Graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1962, attended Indiana University and Purdue University, returning later in life to Purdue to complete a Bachelor's degree with a certification in education in 1989.

In her life, she worked for State Farm Insurance; Tippecanoe School Corp. as a school bus driver and student aide; JC Penney; Antarctic Support Associates in Antarctica as a driver in Transportation Logistics; and Doyon/Aramark Joint Venture as a tour guide for 23 summers.

Her hobbies included gardening, sewing, basket-weaving, knitting, crocheting, macramAC., crafts, pottery, cooking, baking, photography, and so much more.

She led an active life, including hiking, camping, backpacking, bird watching, waterskiing, bicycling, jogging, flower identifying, Euchre, Scrabble, world travel, and BRIDGE, one of her great loves, which she shared for over 40 years with friends in many Bridge clubs. She called Bridge her "winter job."

Marsha had a love of nature and shared that with her daughters and everyone she came in contact with. She raised her girls with a clean, natural life through gardening and raising ducks, chickens, rabbits, horses, and family pets.

She continued to grow in this love by pursuing a job in Alaska at Denali National Park in 1993. Originally intending to work just one season, she met Scott Johnson and discovered her newfound love for the beauty of Alaska, which brought her back for 22 more seasons. After that first season, she and Scott took their first big trip together to Russia and over the next 22+ years, visited all seven continents and too many countries to list. But long before that, she took month-long road trips with her daughters all across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, giving them all a wonderful way to spend childhood summers. She traveled with friends, with Scott, and designed a special trip with each of her grandchildren to anywhere they wished to travel. The one stipulation in the decision was that it had to be somewhere SHE had never been! Many wonderful memories resulted from these various travels, as well as amazing Journals, filled with photos, personal experiences, and information Marsha researched about each place she visited.

Marsha was passionate about a great many things, and was a life-long student and educator of all things, especially the natural world. She could talk to anyone and often did, drawing people to her to share their own stories and adventures. She included almost everyone in her conversations, showing how much she cared for each of us, as individuals and also parts of a whole.

Marsha is survived by her husband, Scott F. Johnson of Lafayette, IN and Denali Park, AK; her daughters, Lisa Anderson and Andy Merrill of McKinney, TX and Betsy Fawbush and grandchildren Jeremiah, Zachary, and Hannah Fawbush, all of Lafayette, IN; brothers Robert and Janice Gantz, and Peter and Sherry Gantz, also all of Lafayette, IN; and friends from all over the world.

We lost a beautiful partner, mother, friend, and human being in losing Marsha. But we rest assured that her travels continue towards her final resting place because, as Marsha believeda�"and LIVEDa�"it's more about the journey than the destination.

Visitation: 29 April 2016 at Hahn-Groeber Funeral Home--1104 Columbia Street, Lafayette, Indiana
Family: 4-5pm
Family & Friends: 5-7pm
Funeral Mass: 30 April 2016 at St. St. Lawrence Catholic Church--1916 Meharry Street, Lafayette, Indiana
1:00pm
Interment following at St. Boniface Cemetery, off of Schuyler Avenue (State Road 25)

In lieu of flowers, her family asks that donations be made to the Denali Citizens Council, an organization which works to promote the natural integrity of Denali National Park and Preserve by supporting the ecological and wilderness values for which the Park and Preserve was established. Donations can be made in memory of Marsha Anderson by cash or check or by visiting the website: www.denalicitizens.org with a credit card. If further assistance is needed, please contact a family member.
Denali Citizens Council
P.O. Box 78
Denali National Park, AK 99755

For more information please visit www.CaringBridge.org
"Marsha Anderson's Journey"