Anita Chesley Fischback

Anita Fischback passed away on April 23, 2023, in Smithfield, Utah, at the age of 88. Anita was born on December 22, 1934, in Mesa, Arizona to Arthur Chesley and Alice Lamoreux. When Anita was three years old she lived with her Father and Step Mother, Lucy Curtis Chesley, her brother Ed Chesley, and her three step-siblings, Robert Western, Jerry Western, and Verda Western in Mesa, Arizona. Anita was the youngest of the four children. When Anita was a little girl everyone called her “Pete”. When Anita was 8 years old she was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by her Grandfather Ray Lamoreux and was confirmed by her Father in the Mesa Arizona Temple. Shortly thereafter Anita and the family moved to White Salmon, Washington until Anita was 13. When Anita was 13 until she was 17 she lived with her Aunt Buena and her four children. Anita went from being the youngest child to being the oldest child. It was while living with her Aunt Buena that Anita learned her nurturing and parenting skills by helping to take care of her younger cousins by babysitting and cleaning the house. When Anita was 17 and a senior in high school she moved to Pomona, California and she and her Mother, Alice, lived in an apartment together for 1 year. Anita and her Mother worked at the State Psychiatric Hospital while Anita was also attending High School.

When Anita was 18 she met the love of her life, John Fischback, at a weekly town dance in Anaheim, California. After a short whirlwind romance, John and Anita were married on January 9, 1954, in Las Vegas Nevada. Anita was an Air Force wife and she and John moved to several Air Force bases around the United States and in Germany while raising six children. In 1966 while the family was living overseas in Europe, John and Anita and their children were all sealed together for time and all eternity in the Temple in Bern, Switzerland. John and Anita were married for over 69 years up until John’s passing on April 13, 2022.

After John Retired from the Air Force in 1971 he went to work for the FAA in Alaska. Anita and her family lived in Talkeetna, AK, McGrath, AK, Kermit Texas, and Delta Junction Alaska, and then finally settled down with John and their children in Anchorage, AK in 1977. Anita always had lots of energy and ambition and liked to keep herself busy, so in 1980 she bought and ran an apartment and carpet cleaning business called “White Glove Enterprises”. The family business had serval contracts with apartment complexes all over Anchorage. Anita hired and worked with several employees along with her children, while also still raising a family and attending to her Church callings. In 1985 when Anita turned 50 she had grown tired of working and decided to give up the apartment cleaning side of the business and handed over the carpet cleaning to her son Kip. Anita was very supportive of her husband especially when John and Anita flipped several houses for several years in Anchorage. Anita was close with her mother and father and would do anything she could to help them so in 1995 when her parents’ health began to decline, Anita and John moved to Strawberry, Arizona, and bought a house that was located across the street from her father’s house and her brother Ed’s house and a block away from her mother’s house. Anita and Ed took care of their parents until they passed away. Anita and John eventually became “Snowbirds” by splitting their time during the year while living in Anchorage, AK, and Tucson, Arizona.

Anita loved and nurtured her grandchildren as if they were her own children. She made every grandchild feel like they were her favorite. Anita was a total people person, was never shy, and loved getting to know everyone she met everywhere she went. Everyone was drawn to her because she was so friendly and genuinely interested in everyone. Anita never met a stranger. It’s been said that Anita could meet someone and know their whole life story while standing in line at the DMV (Division of Motor Vehicles).

Anita is survived by her six children; Michael “Mick” (Laurel) Fischback, Kip (Nancy) Fischback, Bonnie Wright, John (Liz) Fischback, Thomas (Susan) Fischback, Samuel Fischback, and her 28 grandchildren, and 43 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. Monday May 1, 2023, at the Utah Veterans Cemetery Chapel. For those not able to attend in person, a live streaming may be accessed by following this link https://youtube.com/live/xnX5xWrmO7g?feature=share

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