Anita R. Bershad

Anita R. Bershad passed away on Tuesday morning, July 7, 2015. She is survived by her husband, Hy A. Bershad, a daughter, Cindi Block, two sons, James Anderson and Steve Anderson, and two step-daughters, Deborah and Carolyn Bershad. In addition, there are six grand-children, Krissy Broga, Brian Anderson, Amity Wyss, Anita Block, Ronni Block and Ali Kay Block , together with two great-children, Slade Travis Broga and Caidyn Wyss.

She was born as Anita Hayden, the 4th child of John Livingstone Hayden and Margaret Hayden, in New York City on October 1, 1933. When she was about 8 years old her widowed mother moved the family to Connecticut when she found employment at a large armament factory. Anita graduated from Harding High School in Bridgeport and was active in student affairs and was one of the “Koquettes“. That activity continued after graduation when she helped to organize and attend class reunions every five years.

She obtained employment at the early age of 16 to help her mother and family supplement their income. She was a proficient stenographer and typist and was employed first as a secretary and then as an executive secretary to the President of a large company in Bridgeport. Her employment also extended to the Veterans Administration where she worked as a receptionist and included some years in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) of the U. S. Navy.

When she was 18 years old, she married James Ronald Anderson and had three beautiful children. Unfortunately, that marriage ended in 1960 and Anita was left with 3 young children to rear by herself. Happily, she had the support of her mother, brother and sisters and was able to manage a difficult situation. In the early 1970’s she met Hy Bershad in Miami Beach where both of them were on vacation. They met on the dance floor of the The Boom-Boom Room and have been dancing together ever since that date. On December 23, 1972 they were married and Anita moved to Brooklyn, New York where her husband worked at Lutheran Medical Center. They were fortunate to obtain an abandoned attached brownstone and had it rehabilitated so that they would have adequate space for the enlarged family.

Anita became the Executive Secretary to the President of a large sugar company and, for a period of time, had car service that picked her up and transported her to her office on Wall Street in Manhattan. When the company offices were shifted to New Jersey she had to drive herself to work as many others did. The company later was sold and Anita then found employment as an office manager in a local hospital.

She and her husband did a great deal of traveling when he became a member of an international hospital group established as a subsidiary of the World Health Organization.

Her travels included trips to Greece, Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, England, Denmark, Russia, China, Ireland, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Czechoslovakia, The Netherlands, Egypt, Kenya, and many, many other places including the Caribbean Islands, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Canada and Mexico were also visited several times. Anita was an outgoing, warm, and friendly woman who always had a smile and made friends easily. She expressed interest in other peoples concerns and lives and would readily trade pictures and photos of her family with those of her acquaintances.

In 1993 Anita and Hy relocated to Naples where they had a large home built in Quail Woods Estates, off Immokalee Road. Fortunately, her daughter, Cindi Block and her husband, Ron, together with their three young daughters, also agreed to move to Naples. The intervening years were happy ones with Anita being there at the birth of Cindi’s fourth daughter in January of 1995. Anita was the ultimate grandma, overseeing and minding the children while Cindi and Ron worked. She exuded love and care to all her family and to her friends and acquaintances. To many she was “the Irish Lass with plenty of Class!“ In 2006 Anita and Hy moved to The Strand and bought a condominium at “ClubSide” where they participated in many of the activities and utilized the Fitness Center regularly.

Unfortunately, she contracted 4th stage lung cancer that had metastasized and was not discovered until November of 2014. Despite excellent treatments and care she appeared to loose her vitality and energy in recent weeks and was hospitalized for the final time on June 18, 2015.

She will be sorely missed but happily remembered as the loving wife, mother and friend that she was. There will be a Memorial Service for her at Hodges Funeral Home at 525 111th Ave. N. on Saturday, July 11th at 3 p.m. Friends and neighbors are invited to attend. No flowers or gifts, please. Donations may be sent, in her name, to Habitat for Humanity of Collier County.