Mary Carol Andersen

Mary Carol (Horigan) Andersen, 83, died at Stormont-Vail Hospital in Topeka, Kansas, on April 1, 2024, following complications from a fall.

Mary was born on March 30, 1941, in Frankfort, Kansas, to John and Genitha Horigan. After graduation from Frankfort High School in 1959, she attended Marymount College. While at Marymount she met a young Kansas State civil engineering student, Ron Andersen, and completely smitten Ron soon proposed, and the couple married on August 26, 1961. Mary left college to work at the First National Bank of Manhattan, and thirteen months later their first daughter was born. Soon after, two more girls arrived.

Mary dove into her role as the young head of a growing household with both feet. The household was also mobile as the family moved often in the early years, first as Ron worked for other contractors, and then as Ron and Mary built their own construction business. Mary was the family glue behind the expanding RD Andersen Construction Company, and she took pride in the many schools, offices, jails, town halls, and other projects they built throughout Kansas and beyond over the years. She took special pride in the many campus structures the company built like Durland Hall and Peters Rec Center in Manhattan, and Adams Alumni Center and Anschutz Library in Lawrence, on both the Kansas and Kansas State campuses (especially KSU), and she would point them out to her children, and later to her grandchildren.

As the girls grew, Ron and Mary were able to settle in Topeka, and Mary was an active and enthusiastic school parent from Most Pure Heart of Mary grade school through Hayden High School – whatever was needed. She also carved out time for tennis, a book club that met regularly for over twenty years, serving as President of the Native Sons and Daughters of Kansas, presenting tri-annual papers at Western Sorosis (the first professional women's club in the US), and more. After her children left for college, Mary went back to school and earned a degree in Art History from Washburn University.

Mary and Ron loved to travel, and had particular fun over many, many years, meeting in locations around the United States annually with the Construction Management Association, a trade group of independent builders from across the US that Ron, together with Mary's help, founded in 1980. The group still meets today. The couple enjoyed adventures in many of Europe's historic cities over the years with family and friends. Ron and Mary, "Mamie" to her grandkids, also loved to host their children, eleven grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren on family vacations at fun spots, often in Florida.

Mary was predeceased by her parents, John and Genitha Horigan and her sister Kathy Alquist. She is survived by her husband of 62 years, Ron Andersen of Topeka; her daughters Kelley Colby (Bill) of Prairie Village, Kansas, Jana Andersen (Michael Dick) of Kalaheo, Hawaii, and Kerri Rendleman (Doug) of St. Louis, Missouri; eleven grandchildren, Zach, Paul, Tom (Apiffany), Anna, Charlie, George, Mary Kate (Zach), Charley, Alex, Kate and Max; three great-grandchildren, Preston, Audrey and Camren; and siblings Peggy Babler, John (Beth) Horigan, Sharon (Frank) Caffrey and Joe (Pam) Horigan.

There will be a memorial mass held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 20th at Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 3601 SW 17th Street in Topeka. The family will receive friends for an hour before the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 1800 SW Stone Ave, Topeka, KS 66604 or to the Kansas State University Endowment Fund, EMAW, and EWAW!

Dove Cremations and Funerals Southwest Chapel is assisting the family.

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