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Dec. 9, 1944-Feb. 7, 2021
Niels Peter Anderson,
Sr., from Minot ND, form-
erly from Troy, NY, a
career United States Air
Force Veteran and a North
Dakota Social Worker,
died on February 7, 2021
at his home at the age of
76.
Niels Peter Anderson
was born on December 9,
1944 the son of Louis and
Dorothy (Bacon) Ander-
son in Troy, New York.
Those of you who had
the pleasure of knowing
Niels are going to
remember some amazing
stories. You'll remember
when he made you laugh,
you'll remember the nick-
name he gave you, you'll
remember his bright
smile, and you'll
remember the random
songs he sang and the
dances he created just to
bring a little joy into every
situation. But more than
any of that, you'll
remember how he made
you feel. Niels made peo-
ple feel safe because he
would figure out a way to
help; he made people feel
important because he
knew the value each one
had; he made people feel
loved because it was easy
for him; and he never met
a stranger and made peo-
ple feel like family.
Niels also knew the im-
portance of serving others
and he spent his life do-
ing just that. He proudly
served in the Air Force for
22 years while he and his
wife raised their children
and fostered many more.
After retiring from the Air
Force, he graduated from
Minot State University
with a degree in social
work. That led to his
second career where he
thrived being an advocate
for those who couldn't ad-
vocate for themselves.
Whether it was the home-
less, the mentally chal-
lenged, or the elderly one
call and Niels was on his
way.
Niels was a devoted
husband to his high
school sweetheart and
love of his life, Mary Jane
who he married on July 4,
1965. He was a selfless fa-
ther and grandfather who
never backed away from
hard situations, but in-
stead embraced his family
and reminded them that
family will always be
there to support each oth-
er.
Niels will be deeply
missed, but he won't be
forgotten. He has left a
legacy and a piece of that
legacy has been shared
with those who knew
him. Someday we will see
him again in Christ's pres-
ence.
Surviving family in-
cludes:
Niels is survived by his
wife of 55 years, Mary
Jane and his children
Peter (Svetlana), Cather-
ine (Jim), Angel
(Matthew) and Philip
(Melissa); his grandchil-
dren Michael (Giselle),
Austin, Joey, Gaige,
Aiden, Karson, Reagan,
Betty, Bridger, Christo-
pher, Ruby, Louis and
Niels; and his great-
granddaughter MaKenzie.
He is preceeded in death
by his parents Louis and
Dorthey, his sister Dolly,
and his son Robert.
Celebrating the Life of
Niels:
Due to the Coronavirus
Pandemic, A Private Fam-
ily Funeral by invitation
will be heldThursday,
February 11, 2020, at
11:00 a.m at Thompson-
Larson Chapel in Minot.
A Public Graveside Ser-
vice will be held on Fri-
day, February 12, 2020, at
2:00 p.m at North Dakota
Veteran's Cemetery, Man-
dan, ND. Due to the
Coronavirus Pandemic,
please observe social dis-
tancing.
Visitation: A public
viewing will take place at
Thompson-Larson Fun-
eral Home, Minot, an
hour prior to the service.
Memorials: In lieu of
flowers, memorial are pre-
ferred to Minot Area
Homeless Coalition.
The service will be
livestreamed for the pub-
lic to view and can be ac-
cessed by going to
YouTube at:
www.youtube.com/
channel/UCkw5w
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Those wishing to sign
the online register and
share memories may ac-
cess the online obituaries
section at (www. thomp-
sonlarson.com).