As a little girl living in Burlington, Iowa, Anita always dreamed of living in a house with an orange tree growing in the yard. Early on Thursday morning, August 6, 2020, Anita passed away at her home in Ventura with a beautiful blooming orange tree growing in her yard.
Anita was born on December 30, 1929 in Burlington, Iowa and she was a Ventura County resident for the past 49 years. Anita lived a wonderful, multi-faceted life.
She had a long and varied life. She grew up on a farm in Burlington, Iowa during the depression as the youngest of six children. She wanted to finish high school but it wasn’t possible. At 19 she married. In 1952 she followed her husband to France for a year. He was in the army, stationed near Verdun. On weekends they traveled around Europe to places like Holland, Belgium, Paris, and the French Rivera. Their daughter, Christine, was born in Europe.
In 1955 the family moved to California and Anita had a son, Timothy. The marriage ended and Anita remarried. In 1961 the new family moved to Anaheim, CA. Anita raised a family, worked in aerospace, and finished her high school education. In 1968 the family moved to Grand Junction, Colorado and bought 50 acres on the Colorado River. They raised alfalfa, tomatoes, and melons. In the winter they boarded horses.
In 1971, the family returned to California and settled in Ventura County. Anita went into real estate and became a broker. She sold real estate in the 1970’s and 1980’s for California Oaks and Century 21.
Anita always wanted to have a business so in 1986 she bought The Chocolate Place in Ventura. It was a busy time and she enjoyed making treats that made people happy.
In 1989, the economy changed so Anita sold the business and moved on to another life-long interest, sewing. In the 1990’s she worked at Beverly Fabrics making display items for the store. The sewing area was located on the second floor overlooking Main Street in Ventura. She enjoyed watching the daily activity and parades downtown.
In 1996 she thought it would be fun to manage a Salvation Army Thrift Store and she did that for 6 years. After the Salvation Army, she worked one more year for a Title company and retired in 2004.
Over the next 15 years Anita made almost 2,000 items to sell at the Senior Craft Shoppe located in downtown Ventura. She loved to sew, knit, and crochet so the shop gave her a creative outlet and she enjoyed meeting new people at the shop.
Anita is survived by her daughter, Christine Cote Ring, of Ventura and one grandson, Benjamin Cote, of Bakersfield. Anita was preceded in death by her son, Timothy Cote. She was the youngest of 6 children and they also all predeceased her.
Due to COVID-19 regulations and restriction, a private funeral service will be held for family members only.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation may be made in her honor to the Ventura County Chapter of the American Cancer Society, 2186 Knoll Drive #A, Ventura, CA 93003.
Anita was entrusted to the care of the JOSEPH P. REARDON FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICE, 757 East Main Street, Ventura, 805-643-8623.