St. Charles woman killed in Minn. crash
A 62-year-old St. Charles woman who died after a crash in Minnesota this week was on her way back to the suburbs after being the executor of her mother's estate.
Gloria Anderson was killed Wednesday afternoon in a three-vehicle crash in southern Minnesota that also killed two children.
They are 13-year-old Bambi Khemphomma and 11-year-old Christi Khemphomma of Waterloo, Iowa. They were riding in a minivan driven by a 46-year-old from Waterloo, who was killed but not identified Thursday.
Alan Anderson, her husband of 41 years, said Gloria was on her way home after spending several weeks in Carthage, S.D., tending to the estate of her mother, who recently passed away.
Alan Anderson said his wife was a good driver who had traveled that route through Minnesota many times.
"It's a mystery to me (why she crashed)," he said. "She's always been an excellent driver. I don't know the conditions. From what I understand, there was a tornado in the area, rain and a lot of strong wind. It could have pushed her over."
The Minnesota State Highway Patrol said Anderson was driving a 1996 Toyota that crossed the center line on Interstate 90 and struck a semitrailer.
The semitrailer then crossed into the eastbound lane and struck the minivan carrying the group from Waterloo about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at I-90 at Minnesota Highway 13 near Albert Lea.
The truck driver, 56-year-old Randy Pedersen of Swaledale, Iowa, wasn't hurt.
Alan and Gloria Anderson married on Nov. 25, 1967, and moved to their St. Charles home in 1970.
Alan said his wife worked for the DuKane Corp. as an inspector on an assembly line that produced electrical devices.
She also worked in the cafeteria for a company hired for lunch service at St. Charles East High School until her retirement in 2002.
They had one daughter, Dawn, 38, and Gloria enjoyed gardening and had a soft spot on her heart for animals, frequently donating to groups like the Humane Society.
Alan Anderson said Gloria was a caring mother, devoted wife and hard worker.
"She was all those things," he said.
• Daily Herald news services contributed to this report.