Anna Lou Meland

Anna Lou Meland, 88, of Great Falls, passed away on Sunday, July 24, 2016.A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, July 29, 2016 at Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Chapel. Schnider Funeral Home is handling arrangements.Anna Lou was born June 30, 1928 in Bancroft, Idaho to Thomas and Mabel (Eliason) Corbett. She was raised in the Sun River Valley area and Cascade, MT. She graduated from Cascade High School in 1946. Anna Lou started teaching in 1948, at a rural school south of Eden in Cascade County. She earned a two year education diploma from the College of Great Falls in 1954 and graduated with a bachelors degree in elementary teacher education from Northern Montana College in 1968. She continued teaching in one-room rural schools for many years. The last rural school was in Hill County, ten miles south of the Canadian border where she met her future husband, Lloyd Meland. Anna Lou married Lloyd Orlando Meland on March 2, 1957. She taught first grade at Sunnyside School for 18 years before retiring. After retiring Lloyd and Anna Lou remained on their farm in the Sun River Valley, where they spent 35 years farming together. They also enjoyed traveling during their golden years with a highlight trip to Norway.Anna Lou was an active member of Faith Lutheran Church, Sons of Norway and Great Falls Senior Center. She wrote poetry, recited tongue twisters and enjoyed storytelling to young and old.Anna Lou is survived by her daughter, Dianne (Ron) Bremer of Fort Shaw, MT; sons Douglas (Valerie) Meland of Sioux Falls, SD and Dale (Judith) Meland of Federal Way, WA; sister Alta Latham of Cascade, MT; grandchildren Nick and Lexi Bremer of Fort Shaw, MT, Kayla (Kelly) DeCourcey of Renner, SD and Jeffery Meland of Baltic, SD; three great-grandchildren, Dray, Claire, and Tatum; and several loving nieces and nephews.She was preceded in death by her husband, Lloyd Meland in 2011; sisters Barbara (Joe) Carson, Florence (Fred Buttons) Turnbow and Donna Dear (John) Zbinden; and brothers Howard Hap (Palma) Corbett, Clyde Pete (Alice) Corbett, Joseph (Edith) Corbett, Darrell (Vi) Corbett, Frank Bud (Adeline) Corbett, and Tom (Hattie) Corbett; sister-in-law Thelma Corbett; and brother-in- law Tim Latham.