Jennifer “Jennie” Anderson, 55, Hays, Kansas, passed away on October 1, 2026 at Hays Medical Center with her mother and sister by her side.
Born in Hays, Kansas on June 26, 1971, Jennie graduated from FHSU with a Master of Arts in English, loving beautiful literature and excelling in all of her studies. For many years, Jennie worked at Dillons in Hays as a produce clerk as well as in several Dillons positions in Wichita and Olathe, Kansas. She also shined as a Frito-Lay vendor for many years and as a photographer for Life-Touch Studios, making many friends in each job on her routes in Hays and western Kansas. During her college years, Jennie volunteered for the AmeriCorps program and spent many summers at Wilson Lake fulfilling her assignments. In any work position she held, she proved herself an over-and-above person and employee.
Jennie was genuine, kind, artistic, generous, and adventuresome, and she adored Conan O’Brian. She took great pleasure in nature, always delighting in the first praying mantis that would summer in her green-thumb sweet potato vines each year, to climbing all Colorado Fourteeners and visiting the Grand Canyon in her hiking and exploring years. As new children would be born into Jennie’s large extended family, she would encourage an artistic bent they might have with sketch pads, colored pens and crayons, charcoal pencils, paints, and even a few cameras to get them started.
But, her love of the outdoors and art did not exceed her genuine personality and her kind, helpful heart for people and animals, including stray cats and yard squirrels that repeatedly ruined her outdoor string lights. A plaque in her bedroom read: “Whatever you are, be a good one,” (Abraham Lincoln).
Left to mourn Jennie are her parents, Judy and Richard “Andy” Anderson, with whom she lovingly shared hearth and home for the last many years; her sister and best friend, Adrienne Nusser; her niece and great friend, Brooke Bell and Brooke’s husband, Austin; and Brooke and Austin’s babe, who had just learned to say “Aunt Jennie”. Jennie’s also survived by her niece Tatum Anderson and her nephew, Keelon Anderson and their mother, Angie Anderson and her husband, Ed Galliart. Jennie also leaves behind many wonderful and amazing aunts, cousins, and a well-loved uncle as well as her Dillons family.
Preceding Jennie in passing are her brother, Kevin Anderson, maternal grandparents, Winifred and Henry Gaschler, paternal grandparents, Jennie and Einar Anderson, aunt Jean Gaschler, uncles Thomas and Donald Gaschler and Robert Riney.
Jennie chose cremation with no funeral service. There will be a get together to honor Jennie’s life at a date and time announced later. Memorials may be made in Jennie’s name to Humane Society of the High Plains. Cremation has been entrusted to Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, and condolences and memories of Jennie may be shared with her family at www.haysmemorial.com