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Show Wed/Thurs/Fri, September 12-14, 2018 The Park Record Cowgirl historian was icon ENTER C-7 TO WIN! A Date for Two in Park City! Half-day Electric Bike rides around town followed by 90 minute massages. Courtesy of — AND — POST INDEPENDENT FILE Late performer and author Anita Witt, with her horse, Whiskey, at her home near El Jebel, Colo. KYLE MILLS Glenwood Springs Post-Independent GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. – The Roaring Fork Valley lost an icon Sept. 4 when writer, historian and Western personality Anita Witt took her final ride into the sunset. Witt was a true cowgirl, from her upbringing in Wichita, Kansas, to her five decades living on her ranch in Missouri Heights outside of Carbondale. A graduate of Oklahoma State University, Witt taught physical education for two years before riding after her dream of being an entertainer. “Anita loved to entertain, playing her guitar, singing, doing rope tricks for small or large groups. … She just loved to spread joy and give,” said Laura McMullen of Valley View, Texas, near Sanger, Texas, where Witt owned a ranch and spent her winters. “Anita was tiny in stature but big in character,” said Lynn Kirchner of Carbondale, a longtime friend and riding buddy. “She was huge in the community.” Witt was a lover of animals, including her horses Whiskey, Jose Cuervo and Trigger, along with her dog Spanky. She traveled as part of the old Mild West Rodeo Co., which was based out of Carbondale. She went from rodeo to rodeo, doing shows all over town including at local festivals, senior centers and more, showing off her roping, trick horses, songs and stories. “She was an amazing entertainer in her time. She did an actual dog and pony show,” Kirchner said. “She was a true horsewoman; trail riding and rodeo,” said Holly McLain, another longtime friend and neighbor. “Anita was kind-hearted, optimistic, and up for any kind of adventure and good time.” Well respected in the community, Anita and her husband, Donald Witt, were the owners and founders of Center Drug (now Walgreens on Grand Avenue) in Glenwood for 23 years. A proponent for preserving Western heritage in the valley, Witt is a big reason the old schoolhouse in Missouri Heights is still standing and being preserved for future generations. “She truly was a dedicated historian. She had a love for the area,” said Colleen Sardinsky, a neighbor and very close friend. “She was devoted to supporting the old one-room schoolhouse in Missouri Heights.” “Because of Anita, it is still there as a place for people to gather,” McLain said. Witt was a collector of stories, pictures and oral history from the ranching community. “She was really instrumental in recording the western heritage of the Roaring Fork Valley,” McLain said. “One thing I appreciated more than anything was her respect for those who came before her and made it possible for her when she arrived,” Sardinsky said. She authored three books, “They Came from Missouri: The History of Missouri Heights Colorado,” “Lady Godiva’s Book of Horsemanship” and “I Remember One Horse: The Last of the Cowboys in the Roaring Fork Valley and Beyond,” which she also made a DVD movie for. “She honored cowboys and the people who came before her in her books,” Kirchner said. “Right up until the end, she was active entertaining people,” McLain said. “She did not waste a minute, always on the go,” Sardinsky said. “Truly an extraordinary woman, she won’t be forgotten ever.” Her memorial Saturday was standing-room only at the old schoolhouse. “The amount of people that came out to honor her was amazing,” Kirchner said. “It was a wonderful gathering of family and friends. “She was a dear friend, she wasn’t my blood mother, but she became a mother to me. She was a special woman.” TWO for ONE 7700 Stein Way Park City, UT 84060 Reservations (435) 645-6455 www.steinlodge.com/dining Valid Sunday-Thursday until 9/29/18 for dinner at Glitretind Restaurant only. Cash not accepted. For dine-in only. Buy one entrée, get the second of equal or lesser value for free. 20% gratuity will be added to original amount. Excludes Sunday brunch. Must present coupon. Not valid in conjunction with any other offer, nightly special, or special event. See page B-7 for just a few of the cats and dogs available for adoption Go to www.parkrecord.com today to enter! Contest runs September 8–22 Knead a Massage 435–615–8440 875 Iron Horse Dr. www.kneadamassage.com Open every day 8:30am – 9pm Presented By Pedego 435–649–6663 1890 Bonanza Dr www.pedego.com |