In Memoriam

ANITA DEVORE
1926-2015

Anita Devore, our long-time colleague and friend in the San Fernando Valley Sierra Club Group, has passed away. She died of kidney failure and related causes on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Woodland Hills. She was 89 years old.

Anita was born in 1926 in the Bronx, New York, to Russian immigrant parents. She attended Yeshiva University in New York City, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in 1948. She received a Master’s in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1951.

In 1957 Anita moved to California. She settled in the San Fernando Valley to be near her brother Dr. A. Surtshin, a physician with a thriving practice in Northridge. She found an apartment in Reseda, and went to work at Kaiser Permanente as a social worker. Anita stayed with Kaiser for 30 years, until her retirement.

Anita was an extremely active volunteer in a number of organizations. She was a member of the California Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, San Fernando Valley Local Unit, and served as co-chair of this Unit. In addition she was a member of the MSW Advisory Board at California State University, Northridge, since its inception in 2005; she enjoyed mentoring and advising students and newcomers to the program. She was President of the Ethical Culture Society of Los Angeles for many years. From 2002 to 2015 she held the office of Vice Chair of the San Fernando Valley Sierra Club Group. She belonged to the Red Hat Society, the AAAS, and was a tutor in English as a Second Language for the Los Angeles Public Library and at Columbus Middle School in Canoga Park. Last but not least, Anita was a member of at least three book clubs.

Another of Anita’s passions was travel. She loved to visit other countries and explore other cultures. During the years we knew her, she visited Ireland and The Netherlands. Even though she was using a walker, she scorned the typical round of bus tours. She avoided hotels, and signed up for home-stays with indigenous families whenever possible. In this way she was able to make lasting friendships with individual citizens of these countries.

My husband and I were privileged to call Anita a close friend for the last 15 years of her life. When our granddaughter Sophia was born in 2011, Anita became her godmother.

We will acutely miss Anita’s wit and her humor, her warmth, her love of life, and her sharp intellect.

Written by Julie Szende with permission to reprint.