Obituary of Lenora Dianne Anderson

Lenora “Dianne” Anderson was born March 20, 1944, to John Collis and Tommie Ruth Hill in Stone Mountain, Georgia. She went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, February 27, 2024.

A graduate of Clarkston High School, Dianne went to work as a switchboard operator for the Internal Revenue Service in Atlanta. There, she met a young IBM field engineer, Neil Anderson, whom she married in 1964. They moved to Griffin, where Dianne worked for the Experiment Station then served many years as the secretary for Pastor Thurman Fountain at First Assembly of God Church in Griffin. In the mid-70s, Dianne and Neil and their daughters Karen, Jennifer, and Mary moved to the Redbone community of Lamar County and became active in the Redbone Community Club. In 1981, they joined First Baptist Church in Barnesville, where Dianne was active for 40 years.

An intelligent, witty, hard-working mother, Dianne left her secretarial work in 1980 to farm full-time. She loved baby chicks, sunshine, flowers, ice-cream, and July 4th family reunions with the Hills, Andersons, and friends. She also loved playing Scrabble, baking, crocheting, reading, and helping Neil in their hay business. Farmers reportedly said Dianne had the best job in the world, driving her John Deere for hours on end during hay season. She also drove a Redbone Volunteer Fire Department truck for a year or two, although her favorite work was done on her lawn mower, a job she continued until she was 78. This pastime helped her push through the hardships of losing Neil and of Parkinson’s Disease.

Dianne taught her daughters to work hard, trust God, and persevere through difficult times. Her well-worn Bibles are dated chapter by chapter for the many times she read them through. Not one for enjoying attention, Dianne lived out her faith at home and in her community through cooking and taking food to people, giving to those in need, and serving in various roles in church. The awards she and Neil won from Perdue, Inc., were tucked away at home.

Dianne is survived by daughters Karen Holcomb (Bron), Jennifer Purvis (Richard), and Mary Garrison (Kenneth); grandsons Justin and Walton Garrison, Jackson and Caleb Holcomb, granddaughter Katherine Purvis, and step-grandchildren Andrew and Leah Purvis; sister and brother-in-law Gayle and Lamar Childers; and sisters-in-law Marie Anderson and Wendy Hill, her cousin Janice Shaw, along with many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Neil Anderson and her brothers Jimmy Hill (Betty) and Kenneth Hill.

A Funeral Service for Mrs. Lenora Dianne Anderson will be held on Friday, March 1, 2024, at 2:00 P.M. at First Baptist Church of Barnesville with Reverend Jason Teal and Reverend Garth Forster officiating. Interment will follow the service in Fredonia Church Cemetery. Friends may visit with the family on Friday, from 1:00 P.M. until the service hour at the Church.

Those who wish may leave an online condolence on our website, www.williams-westburyfuneralhome.com

Williams-Westbury Funeral Home, 526 College Drive, Barnesville, is proudly serving the Anderson family.