Anita Fandey Sanders

Anita Fandey Sanders born in Lubbock, Texas in 1930, died almost age 92 on Tuesday, January 11, 2022.  

Her family moved to Hot Springs, NM in 1939.  There she met her future husband, Delmar A. Sanders at the age of 13 and a Freshman at Hot Springs High School.  He joined the Marines at 17 with his grandmother’s written approval.  When he came back from the war, they again started dating.  Dell asked for her hand in marriage when she was 17 and attending the University of New Mexico.  Anita’s dad asked them to wait until she finished college.  They couldn’t.  They were married in Santa Fe, NM on December 22, 1947.  She completed her freshman year at New Mexico State University.  She became pregnant with Steven Sanders who was born in January, 1949.  They moved to Detroit, Michigan where Dell worked for his dad, Delmer Sanders in his auto repair shop.  

Ron Sanders was born in May, 1952 in Detroit, Michigan.  Anita and family moved to Kansas City, Missouri while Dell taught at the electronic school.  About a year later they moved back to Truth or Consequences where Dell worked part-time as a radio announcer/Engineer and part-time at the US post office.  

They moved to Roswell, NM where Dell was an announcer/engineer at TV station KSWS-TV.  Anita was a Cub Scout Den Mother for her children.  The family then moved to Alamogordo in 1959 where Anita continued to be a Den Mother.  

Anita joined the Trowel and Trellis Garden Club which merged with the Desert Optimist Garden Club.  She attended Garden Club Schools, finally finishing up the requirements to become a Master Judge.  She received a Landscape Design Critics Certificate and the Master Gardener Certificate.  Anita served as President of the Desert Optimist Club and President of the Pajaros de Paraiso Garden Club.  She judged at innumerable Garden Shows and either helped or chaired garden shows in Alamogordo. She was District Secretary and then District Director for District IV New Mexico State Garden Club.  She was President of the Alamogordo Chrysanthemum Society.

Anita became the Mothers’ Club President for DeMolay when Steven joined DeMolay’s and continued while Ron was a member.  

The most unusual thing that ever happened to Anita was when she was picked to be a contestant in the Ralph Edwards Show in T or C, NM.  She kept a hula-hoop going longer than any other woman, wining first prize, a portable electric hand mixer.  

Ronald Sanders had entered the fishing derby at Fisherman’s Park and won Second Prize winning several fishing reels. 

The next most exciting thing that happened to Anita was being “kidnapped” out of a line of people to see Star Wars by “Chewy Baca.”   She was to enter the movie first.  She said she could not go in unless Dell, Ron and Marilyn could go with her!  They got in early, but Marilyn got sick and Anita and Marilyn went home early.  That is when her dream came true and she learned that Marilyn was pregnant with Rachel.  

One of the memorable events of her life was when Ronald received his Master’s Degree in Portales.  Dell put some money in a plastic Easter-egg which Ron gave to Rachel to play with not knowing the money was inside.  

Anita came from a Masonic family, her Uncle, Father, Brother, Husband and Son are all Master Masons.  Her mother was Worthy Matron at Bethesda Lodge, T or C.  Anita was Worthy Matron and later Worthy Advisor of Rainbow Girls.  Anita joined Eastern Star while she and Dell were living in T or C and she was pregnant with Steven.   She served as President of the Daughters of the Nile.  

One of the happy times of her life was being able to see her Granddaughter Rachel graduate from College in Greeley, Colorado and then see David graduate from High School in Los Lunas, in the same week.

Anita’s first big trip was a family trip to Washington, DC where she toured the White House, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Ford Theater and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  The family took a train trip to New York to attend the 1965 Worlds’ Fair, see the United Nations Building, Wall Street, the Statute of Liberty and a boat and bus tour around New York. 

Later, Anita and Dell went to Nashville, to see the Elvis Pressley Museum, Opryland Theme Park, the Grand Old Opery and then to Knoxville for the Worlds’ Fair. 
For an anniversary, Anita and Dell went to Europe for seventeen days, starting in Amsterdam, through Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France, Rome and seeing the Leaning Tower of Piza.  In Paris she saw the Eiffel Tower, the Louve Museum, Monte Carlo, Camp E’llese and the Rocket Train.   In England, they saw Big Ben, Parliament House, the Queen’s Residence, the Changing of the Guard at the Palace and many beautiful Cathedrals.

She and Dell went to Hawaii, touring all five of the islands and the beautiful Horticulture Gardens.  Anita, Dell and Steven toured the Butchert Gardens on Victoria Island, Canada.

For her 50th Anniversary, Anita, Dell, Steven and Masha took a cruise to Alaska, the inside Strait and a land tour across Alaska to Fairbanks to return to Alamogordo.
Ron, Marilyn, Rachel, David and Dell went to San Antonio, Texas where she satisfied a life long desire to see the Alamo.  She also saw the River Walk and Six Flags.
Anita was very proud of her sons, Steven (Masha) Ronald (Janet), her Granddaughters and their husbands, Sarah Rosenberg Brown, (Matt) Rachel Lyon, (Troy) Elaine Rosenberg and Rachel McArthur (Brad), her Grandson David Sanders and her Great-Grandchildren Max Brown, Clay and Emma McArthur and Jonas and Camden Lyon.
On the occasion of Dell’s 70th birthday, Anita wrote to her husband Dell:

“A marriage is measured by living-laughter and tears.  
By good times and bad times, love brings you through.  
You have touched the lives of many with the values you have stood for.
You have earned respect from examples you have set.  
Your 70 years shines for all to see.”

Anita and Dell lived in Alamogordo until 2017 when Dell passed away and Anita moved to Albuquerque to be close to her sons.   Anita is survived by her brother, Fayze Fandey, his wife, Sarah Fandey and many nieces and nephews.

There will be grave-side services at the Fairview Cemetery in Tularosa, NM at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, officiated by Pastor David Fandey, her nephew.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Eastern Stars of Tularosa at PO Box1011, Tularosa, NM 88352 or Alamogordo Eastern Star at PO Box 974, Alamogordo, NM 88310, or the Salvation Army or your favorite charity.

The Sanders family has entrusted their loved one to the care of Alamogordo Funeral Home to direct the funeral services.

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