De Ette Dianne (Karstens) Anderson

De Ette Dianne Anderson

1947 ~ 2025

De Ette Anderson was born March 10th, 1947, to Kenneth Beeson Karstens and Edna DeEtte Karstens at St. Vincent Hospital in Portland OR. Her childhood was spent in various locations around the Portland metroplex and the area around Richmond CA but some of her fondest memories were of the time she spent on her parent’s starter farm in Bethany OR where she loved playing in the woods.

It was here that she developed her lifelong love of plants, trees, and animals, both wild and domesticated. It was also where, at a little Bethany Church, she gave her heart to her precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If you knew De Ette you knew everything she knew about our creation and its Creator. From these two loves emanated her greatest talent: Whatever she touched came alive, plants grew, animals thrived and children flourished.

Dee also had a wonderful singing voice. She loved singing in church but in High School she put her talents to use in a rock and roll band called the Del-Tones. With her natural beauty and this notoriety, she attracted many young suitors and as a result married early and had three handsome sons, John, Joe and Roger that were the love of her life. Unfortunately, as often happens, young love was not to last. Dee found herself a single mother raising three young boys. But she would often pray: “Lord, if you are not going to restore my marriage, send me a man who loves you and wants to raise children in the admonition of your word.”

There were some short-term relationships but she finally found that man in Steve Anderson who, they would discover, had been praying the same prayer in similar circumstances. The result was true love and a blended family that now included a daughter, Tanya, and four more sons, Eddie, Joey, Ezra and Israel all living in the same house along with dogs, cats, guinea pigs, hamsters, white rats, turtles, aquariums full of fish and other sea creatures, dozens of canaries, parakeets and love birds. Their home was a cacophony of love overseen by Dee with love, patience, kindness and yet an adherence to the Godly principle of doing unto others what you would have done unto you. (You didn’t get away with much with Mama Dee in charge.) 

Outside the home Dee taught Sunday School, assisted High School biology teachers and led Women’s Bible Studies. Together with Steve she founded a drug and alcohol treatment center, opened and led the Portland office of World Vision-Love in Action and developed an evangelistic ministry with outreaches to East Africa, Mexico, Venezuela, the Caribbean and various US cities. All the time mentoring younger women in the life skills she had learned.

Dee suffered multiple health issues and in the last years of her life contracted COPD. As it ravaged more and more of her body, she became more limited in her mobility. Still her love for family and friends never wavered and to the end her eyes would light up when those she knew entered her room.

Dee passed away June 20th, 2025, in her own home with the comfort of family at her bedside. She was preceded in death by her mother, father, and son Joseph. She leaves behind her partner of fifty-two years Steve Anderson, her sons: John Katona (Teresa), Roger (Olga), Ezra (Cathy), Israel (Tina) and daughter Tanya, 19 grandkids, 18 great grandchildren, 9 nieces and nephews and innumerable women and men who knew her as Mom or Mimi, Pastor Dee, Dee or simply friend. She will be greatly missed by all.

Remembrances may be made in honor of De Ette: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 

A Visitation will take place at Highland Christian Center, 7600 NE Glisan Street, Portland, Or, on Thursday, July 3, 2025, at 10:30AM

A Funeral Service will follow the Visitation at Highland Christian Center and will begin at 11:30AM

A Committal and Entombent will follow the Funeral Service and will take place at Riverview Abbey on Thursday, July 3, at 2:30PM 

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