Lois Anderson Obituary

Lois Anderson MT. PLEASANT - Lois Belle Anderson, beloved teacher and community leader, passed away peacefully at home in Mount Pleasant on June 25, 2025, at age 98. Born on a dairy farm in Syracuse, New York, Lois Belle was the first person in her extended family to attend college. Her mother's side project, raising chickens, enabled money to be put aside for her tuition at Syracuse University, where she earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees. Her studies there in nutrition and child development laid the groundwork for her early career in 4-H, later international development and eventually as the founding teacher of the Children's Garden School on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina. In 1948, Lois Belle was selected for the first International Farm Youth Exchange program, bringing American 4-Hers to Europe as "grass roots" diplomats. She was honored while there to meet the King and Queen of England and their daughters, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. Her stay with Dutch resistance farmers in the North Sea province of Groningen led to publication of her book recounting the experience, "The Five H's". Upon returning to the US, she became the 4-H agent in Columbia County (New York) and later at Cornell University as a New York State 4-H leader. Along the way, she married a fellow 4-H agent, Stewart Fish, with whom she had two children, Lois Ann and Dan. Tragically, Stewart died when Lois Belle was only 30. But she soldiered on, raising her children with the help of her own parents as she continued her education at Syracuse University. She briefly joined the faculty there and then moved on to Cornell in Ithaca. It was there that she met her second husband, Charles McGurk, who shared her love of the country life. Sadly, Charles passed away after only six years of marriage. Once again, she soldiered on, moving to Africa, where she worked in nutrition education for the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization. Her rural upbringing played a large role in her effective work with villagers struggling to grow sufficient food. Subsequently, she worked as a consultant for the World Bank and USAID programs in 22 countries. Via jeep, pickup truck and bus, she visited remote villages in Liberia, Kenya, Zambia, Thailand, India, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Botswana, to study and evaluate rural youth development programs. Returning to the US after several years abroad, she was a state 4-H leader at the University of Wisconsin, where her team developed "Caring, a Way of Life", a comprehensive, holistic health education program for youth, their families and communities. It was in Madison, where she met her third husband, Robert Anderson. His career as an engineer took them to Georgia and ultimately, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Robert predeceased her in 2015. Upon joining Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church, Lois Belle advocated for an international mission program, creating pathways for long-standing relationships with Kenya and Nicaragua promoting education and economic development. She served as a ruling elder in the church and in 2005, Lois Belle was awarded an Honorary Life Membership from Presbyterian Women in recognition of her faithful service to the mission of Christ's church. In 1988, she was inspired to found The Children's Garden School, a private non-profit, pre-school. She developed a unique curriculum founded in nurturing a child's natural curiosity. For over 25 years, she grew that school, bringing a philosophy of hands-on learning to very young and inquisitive minds. The gardening and food preparation she taught, among many other topics, truly brought her full circle back to her roots as the farmer's daughter. A memorial service will be held at 11 am on Saturday, September 27, at Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church. Memorial donations may be made to the Lois Anderson Scholarship and Mission Support Fund at the Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church. At her death, Lois Belle was surrounded by her adopted family, Beatriz and Walker Guerard and their daughters, Emelia and Sophia. She is also survived by her daughter, Lois Ann Irwin (Will) and son, Dan Fish (Carol), grandson, Stewart Fish (Haley) and great-granddaughters, Everly, Jolie and Lucy.