Marina Anderson

Marina Anderson, Mother, Grandma, and a friend to all who knew her, passed away on May 8th, 2022, on Mother’s Day. She was in the comfort of her home in Polaris, Montana, surrounded by her children. Marina was born on April 17th, 1953, in Argentina. She moved to Porterville, CA, at a young age, where she spent most of her childhood. Marina and her family moved to Dillon, MT, in her teens, where she attended and graduated from Beaverhead County Highschool. Following high school, Marina moved back to Porterville for college and work, which is where she met the love of her life, Bob Anderson. The two fell deeply in love and were married in 1980. In 1988, Marina and Bob moved back to Dillon, where they planned to raise their family. Marina and Bob had four beautiful children: Erica, Elizabeth, Ryan and Emily. The two then purchased the Grasshopper Inn, in Polaris, MT, where Marina raised her children while being the head chef; passionately cooking and serving for guests and visitors of the Grasshopper Valley. She and Bob sold the Grasshopper Inn in 1992, and the family took a giant leap across the world to live in Guam, where they would spend the next ten years. While in Guam, Marina worked as a teacher’s assistant, but found a passion while working as a CNA in rehabilitation facility. Marina was a selfless and compassionate soul, who found honor and purpose in helping others in need. Marina and her family loved Guam, aside from the hurricanes that brought several month-long power outages, where they survived modestly and taught their children about gratitude, perseverance and the strength of the family. The two educated their children, and instilled them with a passion for running, swimming, and making the most of life. Marina mastered cooking traditional Chamorro cuisine, while Bob taught and coached kids and teenagers in the public schools. The kids made friends, fell in love with the ocean and the island wildlife, which included many stray dogs and cats that were always welcome as new pets. Marina and Bob were animal lovers, and always had room for more. Animals were always considered family to them. In 2003, Marina and her family came back to Dillon, so Marina could care for her grandmother, Marjorie Finch. Marina cared for Marjorie in their home and worked as a CNA at the Parkview Retirement Center. Marina made a lasting impression on the community of Dillon, the staff and residents of Parkview, and all the medical personnel from Barret Memorial Hospital, as the sweetest and most compassionate human and caregiver. She was soft spoken and gentle, patient, with a beautiful and warm voice, and a delightful and sweet laugh, who was an incredibly hard working and always positive, caring soul. She made her patients calm, happy and at ease. She made doctors proud and reassured that their patients were receiving the best care one could have. Her presence lifted everyone around, as her kindness and care were radiant. Marina and Bob moved into their dream house in Polaris, MT, to return to the immense beauty and serenity of the Grasshopper Valley, where Marina spent time pursuing her hobbies which included cooking, reading copious amounts of books, including everything by Stephen King, knitting and quilting, gardening, horticulture, foraging for wild mushrooms and flowers, hiking to her favorite lake (Sawtooth) and watching her favorite television shows about crime, cooking, and nature. She commuted to work 30 minutes every day through a weathered and treacherous mountain pass, in the darkness of the early morning, through every kind of weather imaginable. She was incredibly dedicated and loyal to her job of service, and truly one of the most dependable people. Marina’s main passion, though, was her family, namely, her grandchildren. Marina never missed attending a birthday. She made a point of making her grandchildren feel the most loved and valued and important on their day. She showered them with gifts, and crafts, and personalized messages that made them feel unique and understood. On holidays, she prepared decadent feasts and gathered the family at their beautiful home to enjoy her brilliant cooking that would require several days of work, just to watch everyone enjoy themselves, which was her favorite part. Her specialties were her desserts, which were decadent and perfect in every bite, as she held herself to a very high standard of culinary talent. She was the grandma that everyone wished they could have, that had the warmest and sweetest hugs, and always smelled like heaven dipped in flowers. In February 2020, Marina lost a piece of heart when her husband, Bob, passed away from his long battle with cancer. She carried on, and persevered until July of 2021, when she and her family received the devastating news of her terminal cancer diagnosis. She retired and spent the next ten months surrounded by and loving her children and grandchildren, visiting the ocean one last time, reading her favorite books, watching her favorite shows, loving her dogs and cat, and sharing her love and wisdom with her closest. She passed in the early morning of Mother’s Day. Marina is lovingly survived by her children, Erica (Arthur) Schubert, Elizabeth (Jake) Chapin, Ryan Anderson, Emily (Patrick) Kirkley, and Robert Brehens. She is also survived by her eight grandchildren: Michael, Joshua, Joaquin, Liam, Aurelia, Elora, Amaya, and Charli. Lastly, she leaves behind her beloved dogs Frank and Bindi, and her cat, Sammi, who never left her side.