| Honored by: | Marsha (Anderson) Goetting |
| Brick location: | E:9 map |
Updated February 27, 2008
Sara Lee (Ray) Anderson--wife, mother, mother-in-law, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, grandmother, 4-H leader, and junior high librarian and bulletin board display creator, inspiration for Mother Sara's PIE ENGRAVERS--these are just a few of the many, many positions Sara Lee has fulfilled during her life time.
Sara continues to teach her children and grandchildren by example the value of honesty, hard work, and compassion. As a young woman, she contracted polio that to this day affects her back, but she doesn't let that slow her down.
My mother was the inspiration for Mother Sara's PIE ENGRAVERS, a home based business that was begun in 1985. In 1949 as a young bride, Mother ordered a pie making kit that contained a gadget that made her pies look very unique. At family reunions and other gatherings, her pies were easy to spot.
Unfortunately, during an extensive house remodeling project the gadget was lost. My two sisters and I searched unsuccessfully all over the U. S. trying to find a replacement. In 1985, I drew Mother's name for Christmas. The family agreement was for everyone to "make" something for the person whose name they drew. I decided to experiment with making a pie gadget.
After countless failures with metal plastic and wood, I finally discovered a medium that worked--ceramics. Mother was very excited to be able to once again create decorative steam vents on the top crusts of her pies. Mother's friends and neighbors wondered if I could make them some--thus, Mother Sara's PIE ENGRAVERS was begun.
Mother Sara as the namesake for the business has been featured in Successful Farming, Country Women, and Good Housekeeping. Until recently, Mother Sara presented pie making demonstrations to Hugoton High School (Kansas) home economics classes and for 4-Her's. She also awarded the County Fair Pie Making Grand Champion a board with Mother Sara's PIE ENGRAVERS display board. She learned calligraphy so she could do the lettering on the boards herself, thus demonstrating that one is never too old to learn.
Sara became Mother Sara. That is the way she still signs her letters she sends to me her, oldest daughter who complete a doctoral program in Human Development and Family Studies at Iowa State University in 1996.