Grace “Holly” Anderson

Grace “Holly” Anderson, age 102, passed away peacefully on November 15, 2018 surrounded by her loving family. Gram was born on October 31, 1916 in San Francisco to Lillian and Louis Wolff. She was a best friend to her daughters, Christina Yertzell and Caren Sutton. She leaves behind her two sons in law, Butch Yertzell and Stan Sutton and five grandchildren, James Yertzell, Jeffrey Yertzell, Elizabeth Tompkins, Jennifer Sullivan and Michael Sutton along with their spouses Amy Ortisi Yertzell, Tinie Yertzell, Adam Tompkins and Martin Sullivan and one great grandchild, Christian Yertzell. She was preceded in death by her first husband Christian Henry Hartje, a professional baseball player who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers and died in a tragic bus accident in1946 and by her second husband John “Dutch” Anderson, who coached the USF Dons from 1954 to 1961 when he joined the San Francisco Giants as a scout for 25 years. They were married for 58 years. Mom was the heart of her family and friends and whether you knew her by “Gram”, Auntie Grace” or “Holly” we all shared a special bond with her. She selflessly cared for aging parents, her husbands, relatives in need while raising her two children. You could go to her with any problem and she would make it better. She created special memories for her grandchildren and great grandchild from endlessly playing games to secret handshakes. Her sense of humor made us all laugh and she was game for anything if it meant having some fun. She loved dogs and was never without one, she had a magic touch with them. Her memory was extraordinary and told us stories about family and what San Francisco was like when she was growing up. At her request there was no formal service but a private memorial was held with only the immediate family and of course the dogs. We will miss her dearly and forever.

If you would like to remember her please consider donating to the Friends of the Oakland Animal Services (http://www.oaklandanimalservices.org/how-tohelp/donate/) Friends of Oakland Animal Services

P.O. Box 3132 Oakland, CA 94609