Valerie Anderson

Valerie Therese (née Vacho) Anderson, a beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend, passed away surrounded by love on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 14, 2023. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Valerie Therese (née Vacho) Anderson, a beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend, passed away surrounded by love on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 14, 2023.

Born to Theresa and Andrew Vacho in Ladysmith, Wis., on Sept. 28, 1929,  Val was the only sister to eight brothers, Andrew, Paul, Ladislav, William, Anthony, Emil, Milan and Steven, and two infant siblings, Anna and Milan.

She was raised on her family’s farm and attended a rural one-room schoolhouse for much of her childhood education. Her humble beginnings shaped Val’s outlook on life and is an essential part of the legacy she will leave behind — never take what you have for granted, work hard, be kind always and the moldy bread probably won’t kill you.

After high school, Val took a position as a governess with the Fessenden Family in St. Charles, Ill., which led her to meet her future husband and the singular love of her life, Warren L. Anderson. The two were married in 1954 in an intimate ceremony on Keewaydin Island, Fla., followed by a wedding at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in St. Charles, Ill.

Val was the incredible mother of four daughters, Kim, Valli, Jill and Kelly. They were the center of her world and conversely — she, theirs. Her favorite time was spent with her girls, at home around her kitchen table or on a trip to places like Charleston, Nashville or Savannah. She taught them to see the good in people and was the perfect example of putting others before herself.

When not caring for others, you could often find her crocheting her next blanket (always a treasured gift to someone she loved) or working in her yard outside, something she loved to do especially if it was a warm, sunny day. A devout Catholic, Val was an active eucharistic minister at St. Peter Damian in Bartlett, Ill.

Val is survived by her brothers, Milan (Ellna) Vacho and Steve (Ann) Vacho; daughters, Kim Dorsey of Ladysmith, Valli (Peter) DeGrand of Rogers, Ark., Jill (Tom) Carlson of Maumelle, Ark.; and Kelly (Brian) Scampini of Bartlett, Ill.; grandchildren, Tiffany (LT) Boyd, Courtney Lee, Molly (Kelly) Lynn, Ben (Emily) DeGrand, Annye (Andy) Fox, Laddie (Jake) Lilly, Jacob Carlson, Payton Carlson, Dalton (Denyse) Carlson, Niko (Danielle) Scampini and Alexa (Tyler) Teeslink, as well as 14 great grandchildren — all of whom know how lucky they were to have loved and been loved by their Gram. She will be missed dearly, especially during never-ending games of Farkle and 313, but the family is thankful someone else will finally have a chance to win now.

Details on a celebration of life will be shared at a later date. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made in Val’s honor to St. Peter Damian Catholic Church in Bartlett, Ill., or St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

Go with God, Gram.

For information, please call Yurs Funeral Home of Geneva, 630-232-7337

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.