March 5, 1920 January 27, 2020 Edna Dearing Anderson, just shy of 100, of Vinton, Va., passed peacefully into the Savior's arms at home on Monday, January 27, 2020, with friends and family by her side. She was born on March 5, 1920, to Charles Richard Dearing and Nora Overstreet Dearing of Roanoke. Edna was predeceased by her husband, William H. "Billy" Anderson; son, the Hon. Alfred C. Anderson; brother, Bernard "Petey" Dearing; and sisters, Gladys (Arrington) and Ruby (Sisson). Left to cherish her memory are daughter-in-law, Ann Riley Anderson; granddaughter, Ann Claudine Hunt (Dr. David) of Johnson City, Tenn.; grandson, Lt. Col. Alfred Charles "Chuck" Anderson Jr. (Dr. Karen Sigmon) of Dayton, Ohio; great-grandsons, Mid-shipman, Paul Riley Anderson, Davis Powell Anderson and Lyle Anderson Hunt; great-granddaughter, Clara Kay Hunt; great-niece, Donna Jo (Arrington) Beard; great-nephew, Joe J. "J.J." (Pedigo) Hatcher; and numerous cousins and relations – one has MANY living around Vinton! Edna grew up in the Southeast region of Roanoke and loved to recount her days at Jefferson High School when only a streetcar ran West into the city before busses were available. Five cents was hard to come by in those days and she would walk to and from school, many days returning home to spend lunch with her mother. She took a job for a brief time for Kress' later to become Woolworth's five and dime store downtown after school and upon graduation, accepted a position with the local phone company as a switchboard operator. Since so many men had left to serve overseas in World War II, extra operators were needed at C&P Telephone Company to handle the workload. Many women left their domestic roles to join the shrinking workforce and fill a void left by the men serving abroad. After a few weeks, her employer asked if she'd be willing to work evenings and she immediately accepted. She quickly rose in the ranks to become a regional supervisor and trained many personnel to handle the heavy load of operator assisted long-distance calls (2,682 to be exact from January to July of 1940 alone). C&P Roanoke Office reported the highest volume of calls in their history that year according to "The Roanoke Valley in the 1940s" by Nelson Harris. After retirement in 1982, "Pee-Wee" as she was fondly referred to by her co-workers, turned her attention to her family, her church and her Vinton community. She was a 58-year member of the Order of the Eastern Star and served in various capacities including Grand Chaplain of the State Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star (1985 to 1986) under Anne R. Adams, PGM, former Vinton Chapter now Hillcrest #159. She was also a Life Member of the Verizon Pioneers Volunteer Network and the ministries of Vinton Baptist Church. She served faithfully in the church's Respite Center and later in many activities with the Vinton Senior Center. Oil painting, ceramics, travel and grandchildren soon began to fulfill her daily calendar. Many hours were spent behind the wheel shuttling senior friends and family to appointments and all with a smile on her face and joy in her heart. Edna loved children of all ages and had a knack to make them feel important and part of the conversation. She retained an unusual sharpness of mind even days before her homegoing, keeping in tune with current events and expressing her convictions about everything from crippled children to impeachment hearing. She wishes to thank many faithful friends during her brief illness including Joyce Murray, neighbor; Cendy Moran and Summer Peters, caregivers; and the team of Gentle Shepherd Hospice for keeping her comfortable and free from pain at home. Funeral Services will be conducted at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 1, 2020, at Oakey's Vinton Chapel with Pastor Travis Russell officiating. Interment will follow at Mountain View Cemetery, Vinton. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service on Saturday at the funeral home. In lieu of many flowers, she requests gifts may be directed toward Vinton Baptist Church, India Missions Fund, the Music Ministry, or to the Food Pantry. To reach out to the Anderson family, please contact Vinton Baptist at (540) 343-7685. Online condolences may be expressed at www.oakeys.com.