June 9, 1931 – Feb. 14, 2010

Barbara Lee Anderson, a 25-year Lake Havasu City resident, passed away Feb. 14. She was born June 9, 1931, in Central City, Colo., and named Nona June Dowling — one of nine Dowling children. All would later be put in an orphanage because the parents could not support them. At the age of 6, she was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. John P. James and given the name of Barbara Lee.

Her consummate passion was potatoes. That was the only request she made of her newfound parents, that they have potatoes for dinner or she would not agree to go home with them. Her Dowling siblings searched for her for several years, and in 2001, a younger sister, Ruth LePlatt, contacted her through an intermediary. Lake Havasu City ’s News-Herald detailed the meeting of the two sisters in an article published Nov. 22, 2001.

Barbara was a classically trained concert pianist and organist but never did the concert circuit, preferring instead to teach children how to play piano, including many in Lake Havasu City. She was talented enough to be chosen to appear on Fred Waring’s “Talent Scout” radio show. Her love of music found her serving as organist and choir director in several churches as the family moved because of her husband’s job requirements.

In her younger years, she was a dancer in a traveling dance troupe and also taught ballet, acrobatic and tap dancing to children. At one time, she and her husband, Bruce, owned a dance studio in Denver.

She is survived by her loving husband, Bruce D. Anderson; two sisters, Beverly James Coats, of Anchorage, Alaska, and Ruth Dowling LePlatt, of Farmington, N.M.; three children, The Rev. Canon M. Reneé Miller, of Monterey, Calif., Christine M. Resnick, of Potomac Falls, Va., and David W. Anderson, of Morrisville, Va.; four grandsons, Judd M. Miller, Patrick Anderson, Jackson Anderson, Bailey Resnick; two granddaughters, Mariah Anderson and Campbell Lee Resnick; and one great-grandson, Sam (Miller) Wisner.

A memorial service is planned for March 17 at 2 p.m. in the Realtor’s Center, 2293 Swanson Ave., Lake Havasu City. Instead of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent in her name, to the Western Arizona Humane Society, 1100 Empire Drive, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86404.

Arrangements were entrusted to Lake Havasu Mortuary and Crematory. Thoughts and condolences can be sent to the family at lakehavasumortuary.com.