Anita Lee Rodriguez

Anita Lee Teresa Rodriguez , 76, fortified with all the sacraments and blessings of the Catholic Church, passed away peacefully at Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery, Silver City, New Mexico, on August 27, 2023, after a valiant battle with cancer.

Born April 24, 1947 in Belleville, Illinois, Anita was the oldest child of three of Major Robert F. and Audrey M. Rodriguez (nee Hellrung), then stationed at Scott Air Force Base. Losing her mother at the age of five, she embraced life with her new stepmother, Dorothy Esson Johnson of St. Louis, and eventually welcomed two more siblings into her life. In describing her childhood, Anita said that she “was born in the Midwest to a solid, loving, Catholic family who still demonstrate the ideals of love, devotion to God and family, and service.”

After graduating from Notre Dame Girls’ Academy in Belleville, Anita completed the Dental Hygiene Course of studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1969, and from there began her 50+ year career in dental hygiene. Over the past thirty years she has worked tirelessly to address the disparities of the medical and dental industries in the United States, culminating in a change of law thereby allowing hygienists to work in specific community settings without the supervision of a dentist. Her independent mobile dental hygiene practice in Washington state has been focused on the oral care of underserved populations, especially low-income children and older adults, and those with special needs like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. After completing her baccalaureate degree in Business Administration at the University of Washington in 2004, she added certificate programs to become a trainer and coach in special needs/geriatric oral health care in the Dental Education in Care of the Disabled (DECOD) Program. Anita served for many years in professional associations and co-founded the Alliance of Dental Hygiene Practitioners, an organization dedicated to meeting the oral and general health needs of communities by directly providing care.

Anita was passionate about traveling! She loved to visit family throughout the US and in Puerto Rico, and in the last decade of her life she often went to Hawaii and spent winters in Costa Rica with her fiancé Jim. She happened to be in Alaska for a dental conference at the time of the Iditarod, and was thrilled to be able to volunteer to help with the race. All those beautiful dogs! Anita stated that the main highlight of her life was a trip to Switzerland for the ordination to the priesthood of her brother, followed by an extended tour with her father through France and Spain, visiting the lands of her ancestors. She also cherished this trip as she was able to spend quality time with her sister Linda, who would be killed in a car accident a few years later along with three of Linda’s six children.

Anita was always an independent spirit, interested in bettering herself and learning new skills. Hoping to positively leave her mark on the world and the dental establishment, she moved to Colorado, and then to Idaho. There some of her dreams became a reality. Living off the land, she learned many creative arts skills from her mentor Vern, and finally owned the menagerie she always wanted: horses, goats, dogs, rabbits, and more. She selflessly left her life there to return to her hometown of Belleville to help with the final illness of her stepmother from cancer. There, she became the first female carpenter apprentice in the local union, helping to build St. Clair Mall. Returning again to the northwest, she came to call Washington state her home for the remainder of her life. There she decided to build her dream cabin in the woods and use it for an art studio for her jewelry making and Native American crafts. She made great progress on it but was never able to complete it due to her cancer diagnosis at the age of 71. Anita stated that she was intrigued by the gifts of nature ordained by us to use as our food and medicine. She studied and taught about various health and healing disciplines from all over the world, while keeping a scientific perspective. She put these principles into practice with her own health and cancer treatment and prolonged her life for another five years. Anita felt blessed to spend her last days living near her favorite religious communities.

Anita is survived by her fiancé, Jim O’Connor, her brothers Mark (Lori) Rodriguez and Rev. Fr. Cyprian Rodriguez, OSB, and her sister Dorothy (Dale) Neeck, sixteen nieces and nephews and their children, and many friends.

It was Anita’s wish that mass requests and expressions of sympathy be in the form of charitable donations directed to: Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery, 142 Joseph Blane Road, Silver City, NM 88061. www.Ourladyofguadalupemonastery.com

A solemn requiem mass will take place at 11:00 AM on Saturday, September 9, 2023 at St. Mary’s Assumption Church, 1126 Dolman St., St. Louis, MO 63104, preceded by visitation at the church from 10:00 AM till the time of mass. Burial will take place immediately after the mass at Calvary Catholic Cemetery, 5239 West Florissant Ave., St. Louis, MO 63115.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.kriegshausermortuary.com for the Rodriguez family.