Lucille L. Anderson pulled double shifts on a Honeywell assembly line while moonlighting as a maid to ensure a brighter future for her three children.
The single mother worked extra hard to pay for Catholic school tuition and provide her children with opportunities she never had while growing up on Minneapolis' North Side.
"For real poor kids, you're assumed to be a failure," said her son, Dr. Corrie Anderson of Seattle. "But to my mom, you work hard and try not to be a burden on society."
Lucille "Ludy" Anderson, a retired social worker who long mentored underprivileged youth, died April 29 after contracting COVID-19 at an Edina nursing home. She was 94.
Her mother stressed that education was the key to social mobility. So after graduating from North High School, Anderson enrolled at the University of Minnesota in 1944 — becoming one of the few black students on campus.
She later dropped out to care for her first child and held a series of blue-collar jobs to pay the mortgage after her divorce. A 1960s-era job training helped her learn the IBM key punch, which got her a gig at Hennepin County family and children's services.
At home, Anderson taught everyone — even her young son — how to knit. She enjoyed solving crossword puzzles and challenging her kids to checkers. When questions arose that she could not explain, Anderson sent her children to the local library for the answer.
"She wanted us to know the richness of books," said her son, a pediatric anesthesiologist who credits her for his success.
