Alberta Lee (Hedstrom) Anderson

Mrs. Alberta Lee Hedstrom Anderson, age 92, of Pilot Mountain, passed away peacefully on March 24, 2025, at her home.

Alberta was born on May 27, 1932, in Peoria, Illinois and was adopted at age 6 by Walter T. and Emmelyne Arnquist Hedstrom.  She grew up in Bishop Hill, IL, and worked in the Arnquist General Store.  She was an excellent fastpitch softball player for the Kewanee, IL Ballhawks, and was twice selected as the catcher on the Illinois State Girls Softball Team.

She graduated from Galva High School along with her future husband James.

She attended Knox College and Illinois Normal and after marrying James, took classes at Wake Forest University, in North Carolina.  When the family moved to Texas, Alberta earned a Bachelor’s in Sociology from the University of Houston, and a Masters degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center, graduating as a Certified Social Worker.

Alberta loved making the world a better place and helping people reach their potential.  She established the Children’s Resource and Information Service (CRIS) in Houston, providing support to adult survivors of childhood abuse.  She later founded the Center for Human Development in College Station, TX, where she developed training materials and programs on identity-building for individuals and for organizations, including the Texas Department of Corrections.

She loved athletics and the outdoors.  Alberta enjoyed softball, basketball, tennis, bowling, pool, croquet, and any sport that involved a ball.  She also enjoyed fishing, camping, swimming, kayaking, and walking.  She was an avid golfer and Houston Astros fan.  Alberta was a reader, an enthusiastic jigsaw and crossword puzzler, and loved music.

Alberta not only enriched the lives of her immediate family with her passions but also the lives of countless neighbors and friends.  Alberta will be remembered as a woman who loved life and was always ready for more.

Alberta Anderson is survived by her husband of 71 years, James Anderson; daughters Carrie Anderson and Elise Anderson; son, Joel Anderson;  cousins, Betty and Nancy Arnquist.

In addition to her parents, Mrs. Anderson was preceded in death by her sister, Caroline Gray; uncle, Harvey Peterson; aunt, Katherin Peterson; cousins, Ann Peterson and Barbara Sanderson; brother-in-law, Roger Anderson; and sister-in-law, Regina Anderson.

Cox-Needham Funeral Home, Pilot Mountain, NC, is respectfully serving the Anderson family.

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