LeAnn Anderlik
January 04, 2008
LeAnn Stefani Anderlik, 39, gave up her courageous battle with cancer on Friday, January 4th, 2008, surrounded by close family and friends.
LeAnn was born to Roger and Frances (Talarico) Stefani on March 30, 1968 in Des Moines. LeAnn was raised in Ankeny and graduated from Dowling Catholic High School in 1986. She attended Briar Cliff College in Sioux City on a volleyball scholarship and received a degree in physical education with an emphasis in wellness in 1990.
On April, 12, 1997, LeAnn was married to Jeff Anderlik, also of Ankeny. LeAnn and Jeff made their home in Ankeny with their daughter, Carlie, 5. They are members of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart Catholic Church and Ankeny Golf and Country Club. LeAnn was also a member of the Vittoria Lodge Auxiliary and the American Volleyball Coaches Association. LeAnn and her Grand View volleyball team were mentors for Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
LeAnn worked for the Altoona Campus, EMC Insurance Companies and continued pursuing her passion for volleyball as a player in competitive leagues and coaching at various levels including Roosevelt High School, Clark of Osceola, Iowa Power Volleyball Alliance and Grand View College in Des Moines where she was the Head Women’s Volleyball Coach and Assistant Wellness Director from 1997 until her death. During her coaching career, she shared her passion for the sport with countless young athletes where she was both a coach and mentor. During her tenure at Grand View College she accumulated over 100 victories while her student-athletes received both academic and athletic honors.
LeAnn was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Rex and Elisa Stefani; her maternal grandparents, Francis and Mary Jo Talarico; uncles, Marco Stefani, Ernie Talarico and Tony Perazelli; and first cousin, Ann Marie Casey. LeAnn is survived by her husband, Jeff, and their daughter, Carlie; her parents, Roger and Frances Stefani of Ankeny; brothers, Roger, Jr. of Woodbury, MN and Frank (Brenda) of Yankton, SD; a sister, Marie (Steve) Blatt of Burlington; father-in-law, Jim (Dini) Anderlik of Johnston; mother-in-law, Bonnie (Ron) Coppi of West Des Moines; sister-in-law, Patti Anderlik of Urbandale; nephews, Dustin and William Stefani, Derek Blatt, and David James Anderlik; nieces, Meghan and Emily Stefani, Elise and Lydia Blatt; 8 step brother and sister-in-laws, and their children.
Arrangements are being handled by Hamilton’s near Highland Memory Gardens. Mass of a Christian Burial will be held 10:00 a.m. Monday, January 7, 2008 at Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart Catholic Church, 510 East 1st Street, Ankeny, Iowa. Internment will follow at Ankeny Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. Sunday, January 6th 2008, at the church, with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Anderlik family or Grand View College in care of the Women’s Volleyball team.
Lisa Kaplan Stodghill
03/30/2016
Happy Birthday to you in heaven my friend! I miss you!! xoxox!
Lisa Kaplan STODGHILL
01/09/2015
Missin u LeAnn! Xoxoxo!
Bill Knudten
01/14/2008
Jeff,
Lisa and I just found out about LeAnn's passing over the weekend... I'm so very sorry for your loss. I know that Lisa intends to get ahold of you in the next few days, so I'll let her speak for herself. I just wanted you to know that if we can do ANYTHING for you - please, let me know. I imagine that your daily schedule and demands on your time will be quite different - if we can do anything to make that easier, please allow us the opportunity to do it! We only live 3 blocks away - if we can ever help with Carlie, Kylie and Caitlin would love to meet her and have another friend!
God Bless,
Bill
965-2959 (home)
210-2477 (cell)
210-5405 (Lisa-cell)
Shari Craven
01/07/2008
Jeff,
I can't tell you how sorry I am to hear about LeAnn. I'm sorry that I wasn't fortunate enough to know her the same way all the people who have sent emails did. It seems she was a pretty amazing lady. I'm so happy that even though she was sick, she was able to lead a pretty healthy and normal life. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and Carlie.
Shari Craven
Tracy Wiley
01/07/2008
Jeff, Carlie & Family,
I'm very sorry to hear of your loss. Leann was in my wedding many years ago. She will be forever in my heart and in my prayers.
My deepest sympathy,
Tracy Wiley
Susan Roberts
01/05/2008
My heartfelt sympathy goes out to your family at this sad time.
I am so glad that my daughter and I was given the gift in life to meet LeAnn.
We met LeAnn when she became my daughter's coach going over to Hawaii the 1st time. Not long before the time was nearing to leave she gave the girls the "news", they all thought she probably would recant on going and coaching them. But not LeAnn, she put these girls before herself and arranged for a back up coach incase she was too sick while they were in Hawaii. That in itself said alot about her and her charactor. She did not waiver or think twice about feeling sorry for herself but instead chose to live life to the fullest. She faced this illness with so much bravery, dignity and zest for life never giving in and letting it rule who she was or what she could do in life. LeAnn is a true role model and inspiration to all who knew her.
Leann brought out the best in Taralyn as a human being and an athlete. She believed in my daughter and gave her the positiveness to take the chance to take her heart (volleyball) to a level that she was capable of. She taught Taralyn about life. That when your served lemons you make lemonade out of it. A lesson in not playing the pity game but getting up and living. Living to the fullest and being every thing you can each day you put your feet on the ground. My daughter looked up to her not only as a coach but as a friend, she admired her dearly and always will.
Because of LeAnn many lives has been gifted and changed. Her memory and who she was will always be a part of each person she touched.
May time bring you peace and you see the beauty of the gift you were all given just by having her in your life.
With Deepest Regrets~Our Hearts Are With You
Susan Roberts
Bill and Jana Freeborn
01/05/2008
Dear Jeff, We haven't seen you or LeAnn since we moved away from Ankeny but have kept up to date through Lisa. Our deepest sympathy's to you and your family. May God continue to guide you through this diffucult time and may peace be with you. Love, the Freeborn's.
Sue ( Rieder ) Korkowski
01/06/2008
I can not tell you how very sorry I am for all of you! I will miss LeAnn forever! She was my very first friend when we moved to Des Moines and I will never forget her! Know that she is now in a better place and her suffering has ended! I sure her and Trick ( my Dad died last March ) are giving each other a hard time as they always did. They will take care of each other and watch down on us! Love and prayers to your family! Sue
Susan
01/06/2008
I sat down this morning writing from my heart about LeAnn and the impact she had in our lives. I would like that some day you may give this to her daughter so she may see the person her mother was.
A Tribute To An Amazing Lady
I would like to share this with you all about a woman who fought breast cancer even when she knew the hope was dim. LeAnn lived as if she was not ill and it was just an obstacle to climb over. Never once did she lay in pity but she lived for every second, every minute and every day to the very fullest. This is about a very amazing lady. LeAnn was a devoted wife, mother, daughter, sister and a coach and friend to many. She gave of herself in many aspects of life. I see her as a gift to the ones she touched. To teach us how to live. How to be whole. And how to make every day count. About what is important in life and it is not materialistic. It is life. Its the ones close to you. Your friends, your family. The people you love and love you in return. About whom you are as a person, accepting yourself and being truly happy. Accepting the things you cannot change and enhancing the person you are. To play on and enhance your abilities and strengths that you were given.
We had the gift in life to have met and to have had LeAnn in our lives. She was Taralyns coach going to Hawaii the first time. Shortly before it was time to depart on an adventure of a life time she gave the girls the news. She had cancer. The girls thought that she would recant as a coach to stay close to family, home and treatment. But no, she would not let her team down. She was going. She arranged for her sister to go along. Her sister would fill in coaching in the case that she was too ill. This was LeAnn, putting others before herself. Letting her dreams and ambitions over ride the illness. She continued to coach not only her Grand View team but also coaching and taking girls to Hawaii to play in a tournament. She continued to do so right up to this summer. When again Taralyn went over for the second time. When we seen LeAnn this summer, it was hard. We could clearly see she was getting tired and knew in our hearts that her journey was probably coming to the end. But if you asked her how she was doing? She was great, a little tired but great. Im sure she must have had a thought or two about life and if she would be there for the next whatever. But never did she/would she put that out for others to hear/see. It was always about others not herself. And Im sure it was to the end. It was a sad reality to look at her and know this would probably be the last time we would see her or talk to her. It was a hard reality to face that such a wonderful person was going to be taken from this life and her many family and friends. I looked at her with much reflection, admiration and love. It made me realize that sometimes when we think life is so bad that those things are petty and dont really matter after all. Life is what you make it. You can either lay down when you meet obstacles or you can get up and live by climbing over it. There is always worse things in life.
LeAnn was a very courageous woman who fought her battle with dignity and living every minute to its fullest. She never let the illness rule who she was, how she lived or from pursuing her dreams. Plus giving dreams to countless girls she mentored. LeAnn gave Taralyn much in life from sports to wisdom. She had faith and believed in her to bring her to a higher level as an athlete. Using her talents and strengths to try new things. She gave Taralyn the faith and confidence to flourish as an athlete. LeAnn taught Taralyn more then being an athlete and volleyball player but also about following her heart & dreams. About living life with grace and attitude. How when obstacles are thrown into your walk of life, you climb over them. She taught her that if every day that you can put your feet on the floor. You do! And you do it with courage and dignity. To live it with zest, living it to the fullest, you have accomplished much. That when life gives you lemons you squeeze the best lemonade you can out of it. Every day your alive is worth living. And last but not least to live being you (not what other people want you to be) and finding who you are in life and truly being happy. Happiness is who you are as a person not by what you have. Life is about giving more then you recieve. About following your dreams whatever it may be/wherever it may lead you in life. And the biggest lesson of all is that life is a gift to be livening to the highest of your potential with dignity and pride.
She was truly amazing and will always be remembered.
Shari Vonnahme
01/06/2008
I just wanted to say how honored my family was to have met and spent time with LeAnn. We too went to Hawaii for Volleyball with her this past July. I had never met someone so upbeat and full of life. She truly loved the game of volleyball and all of those around her. There was certainly not a dull moment whenever she was around, and all the while she was sick and fighting a battle we can all only hope we will not fight ourselves. You could say that I as a parent am not a true fanatic about the sport-but my daughter has always been and I have always been behind her in whatever she wishes to pursue. But having said that, I have been around the sport, coaches and events too many times to count and never, ever, have I met someone who truly cared about every single player like she did and acted like she had known them all of their lives. Not once did I ever hear any negative comments from her to the girls. Now I know you are thinking that any good coach wouldnt do that anyway- but sadly that is so not the case and that speaks volumes for the kind of human being she was. We only knew her a short time but we will always remember her. My daughter Jenna has been blessed by knowing her and having her as one of the greatest role models she will ever have. My heart goes out to her family as I am sure it has to be so tough losing someone so wonderful in each and every way. I myself lost my Dad to cancer two years ago and know too well the pain that they must be going through, but I just wanted them to know that she touched more people in more ways than they will probably ever know. My heart goes out to each and every one of them and they will be in our prayers.