Ora Zella (Prouty) Anderson (1912 - 1990)

Born 27 May 1912 in Hanson, South Dakota, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Louis William Anderson — married 1932 in Davison, South Dakota, United States [uncertain]

Died 4 Jan 1990 at age 77 in Carson City, Nevada, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: David Pierce [send private message]

Biography

Ora Z. Anderson was the mother of the Emmy-award winning comedian Louie Anderson. She was also a Mayflower descendant through Edward Fuller, one of the ship's passengers. Her husband, Louis William Anderson was at one time the trumpeter for the singer Hoagy Carmichael.

Ora was born 27 May 1912 in Hansen, South Dakota, the daughter of Charles Prouty and Mary Winders.^[1][2]

She was married to Louis William Anderson in 1932 when she was 19 years old.^[3] They were the parents of 16 children, five of whom died in infancy.

She passed away 4 January 1990 in Carson City, Nevada.^[4][5][6]

Obituary from the Star Tribune: Newspaper of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis, MN) - Saturday, January 6, 1990:^[7]

Ora Zella (Toy) Anderson, 77, the mother of comedian Louie Anderson and 10 other children, died Thursday in Carson City, Nev. She apparently suffered a heart attack, family members said.

Anderson reared six boys and five girls in a low-income housing project in St. Paul while her husband worked two jobs to supplement the family's income. Several of her children said Friday that she was the force that held the family together when poverty and alcoholism threatened to tear it apart.

In his frequent stage and TV performances, Louie Anderson often reminisces about his parents and his childhood. His recently published book, "Dear Dad: Letters from an Adult Child," is a memoir of his childhood with an alcoholic father.

Ora Anderson grew up in Alexandria, S.D., where her father owned several service stations and other businesses. At age 19, she married Louis Anderson, a big-time trumpet player who played on Hoagy Carmichael's original recording of "Stardust."

In 1940, the couple settled in a spartan duplex in St. Paul. Anderson bore 16 children, five of whom died in infancy. Her husband worked days as a railroad detective and nights as a gravedigger. "She kept the family together," said her son, Jim, of St. Paul. "She was the strength of the family in the sense of moral support and everything. She had strength of steel. "No matter how bad it was, she always found a way to pull things out. She never would yell and get upset with us. She would never lay a hand on us. Maybe that's why we're so much in love with her."

Anderson and her husband moved to Carson City, Nev., in 1974. She worked for a health care service for 10 years and took care of the elderly and shut-ins in their homes.

The success of her second-youngest son as a comedian allowed Ora Anderson to live much more comfortably. She traveled to Europe for the first time in her life. She met President Ronald Reagan and had lunch at the White House. She had a nice home, nice cars and the clothes she had always wanted.

"I think my mom was actually the star of the family," Louie Anderson said Friday. "Once you met her, you realize where all of this comes from. She was very funny in her own way, very smart, very dry in her approach. "She was a very bright light in this really, really dark world and no matter how bad things got she was always able to find some good out of it. She really knew the value of people, and I think that's what she taught us most."

Sources

1. ↑ Ora Pronty in the South Dakota, U.S., Birth Index, 1856-1917. Name: Ora Pronty Gender: Female Birth Date: 27 May 1912 Birth Place: Hanson, South Dakota, USA File Date: 10 Jun 1912 Father: Chas Pronty Mother: Bertha Winders State File Number: 80631.
2. ↑ Ora Z Prouty in the South Dakota, U.S., State Census, 1915. Name: Ora Z Prouty Age: 3 Birth Year: 1912 Gender: Female Race: White Birth Place: South Dakota Arrival Year in State: 1912 Arrival State: South Dakota Arrival Country: USA Father's Birth Place: Iowa Mother's Birth Place: Iowa FHL Film Number: 2283783 Sheet Number: 595 Residence in 1915: South Dakota, United States.
3. ↑ South Dakota, State Census, 1935. Name Ora Anderson Age 23 Birth Year 1912 Race (Original) White Gender Female Race White Birth Place South Dakota Marital Status Married Marriage Date 1932 Event Place 400 W 5 ward 4, Davison, South Dakota Post Office Mitchell, South Dakota Father's Birth Place South Dakota Mother's Birth Place South Dakota FHL Film Number 2369201.
4. ↑ Nevada, Death Index, 1980-2012. Name Ora Zella Anderson Birth Date 27 May 1912 Birth Place South Dakota Death Date 4 Jan 1990 Death Place Carson City, Nevada, USA.
5. ↑ U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-Current. Name Ora Z. Anderson Birth Date 27 May 1912 Issue year Before 1951 Issue State Minnesota Death Date 4 Jan 1990
6. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/286266/ora-zella-anderson : accessed 21 January 2022), memorial page for Ora Zella Prouty Anderson (27 May 1912–4 Jan 1990), Find a Grave Memorial ID 286266, citing Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, USA ; Maintained by Bill Hart (contributor 47578214) .
7. ↑ Star Tribune: Newspaper of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis, Minnesota) 06 January 1990, obit for Ora Anderson dies; comedian's mother, GenealogyBank.com (https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/obituaries/obit/0FF37DC851BAEDD4 : accessed 21 January 2022)