Funeral services will be at 2:00 PM, Friday, January 22, 2010 at the Wagner Methodist Church with Rev. Gordon Higgins and Rev. Jon Cooke officiating. Burial will be in the Wagner Cemetery with military rites. Visitations will be from 5-7 PM, Thursday, January 21, 2010 at the Opsahl-Kostel Funeral Home and Crematory, Yankton with a 7:00 PM prayer service. Visitations will resume one hour prior to the service at the church in Wagner.

Allen Charlie Andersh was born September 26, 1930 to Charles and Charlotte (Nedved) Andersh in Avon, South Dakota. He passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family after a brief battle with cancer on January 17, 2010. He attended grade school in rural Wagner and graduated from Wagner High School in 1949. In April of 1951 he joined the U.S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict and served in the Philippines until October 1953. On August 25, 1951 he married Jane Horner. They returned to the family farm near Wagner where they raised their family and farmed until 1981. Allen attended USD Springfield where he studied Refrigeration and Cooling from 1981-1984 then he transferred to Dakota Wesleyan University where he completed his degree a Bachelor's Degree in Business in 1985. Allen drove school bus, Worked at Honomichl Design and Lumber and managed the Carver House Apartments in Wagner for several years.

On October 16, 1998 he married Gertrude Ulmer. Allen & Gertie resided in Wagner until 2004 when they moved to Yankton. Allen could fix anything, enjoyed the outdoors, loved to garden, played a wicked game of Aggravation, Sequence or pinochle and was an avid Minnesota Vikings fan. Allen & Gertie were a well known and loved couple at many area dances as well as up and down their street where Allen was a neighborhood social bee. As a grandpa, Allen was tops and loved to play with the grandkids. Allen was always the life of the party where ever he was- his laugh was contagious!

Grateful for having shared his life are his wife of 11 years Gertie of Yankton, his six children Edward Andersh of Rapid City, Kevin (Georgia) Andersh of Wagner, Debra (Richard) Bures of Aberdeen, Burton (Barbara) Andersh of Watertown, Timothy (Elaine) Andersh of Box Elder, and Tamera Andersh of Rapid City, one sister Marge (Rod) Boltjes of Excelsior, MN, 1 brother-in-law Frederich Meyer of Freeman, 20 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren, a stepdaughter Carol (Roger) Hansen of Irene, SD a stepson Ronnie Ulmer of Moorcroft WY, 7 step grandchildren and 4 step great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Preceding him in death are his parents Charles and Charlotte, one sister Joan Kostel, and one granddaughter Nicole Bures.

The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, Donations be made in Allen's name to the Calvary Baptist Church Nursery Fund, 2407 Broadway, Yankton, SD 57078.

View Video Tribute