Anita Wigton

Anita Kay Wigton was born May 26, 1953 in Booth Roy Memorial Hospital in Goodland, KS to

Loranell Anderson & Albert LaVern Nelson. She was a preemie & weighed just 4.5 lbs., fitting

inside a shoebox.

She was raised on a farm & ranch 26 miles from town where hard work & tenacity were

expected. Her parents, along with sister, Kristi, earned the Kansas Farm Family of the Year due

to their leadership, family activities, community & civic service, as well as, their innovative &

responsible farming practices. When Anita started school at Sandy Hill, a one room school, she

was the only student in first grade. She moved to a slightly larger school in 2nd grade, Ruleton

Grade School, where there were a total of 64 kids in 1-8 grade. Her freshman year brought a

transfer to Goodland High School where she rode 3 hours daily on the bus. She was a member

of the Expressos Choral Group & was a Future Farmer of America Sweetheart & an attendant

for Homecoming Queen.

Anita was proud of her accomplishments in 4-H, winning many awards in interior design,

chicken & sheep showmanship, & dog care & obedience with her Blue Australian Shepherds

they raised. She also showed Beefmaster steers that her father raised on their ranch.

After graduation in 1971, she attended Colby College, performed with the Sunflower Singers &

got her associates degree in 1973. From there, she went on to Kansas State University to get

her B.S. in Journalism. She also took a semester off to be an International Farm Youth

Exchange Student to France through 4-H. This experience influenced her greatly & gave her a

lifelong appreciation for travel & new cultures.

Anita married Michael Short on her parents farm in 1975. She worked as a radio & television

copywriter for KLOE until the birth of their daughter, Sallie, in 1978.

Anita then chose to be a stay-at-home mom & work as a home daycare provider, taking care of

several families that she held dear to her heart. Their second daughter, Sadie, was born in

1982.

As the girls got older, Anita wanted to share their schedule & changed jobs to work at their

elementary school, in Goodland, as a paraprofessional in the interrelated resource room. Anita

was also actively engaged in Nu Phi Mu of the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority & P.E.O.

In 1991, Anita moved with the girls to Durango when she & Mike divorced.

Anita reinvented herself becoming the Director of Sales & Catering at the Strater Hotel. She was

very proud of its history & loved her job bringing joy to people through events. Anita met Dr.

Chester Wigton, while she was preparing for a wedding, & he was attending his daily Coffee

Club with friends. Anita & Chet were married at Tamarron Resort on the first pros tee on July 4,

1993.

Anita then transitioned to a new career as the Admissions & Marketing Director at Four Corners

Health Care Center & Junction Creek Rehab Clinic. One of her most proud moments in her

career was when she was awarded the Director of the Year for Life Care Centers & the facility

received a perfect survey. Anita & Chet also worked on developing the Veterans Administration

Clinic in Durango before Chet’s retirement from medicine.

Anita loved art & music & was a talented stained glass artisan. She was honored to create

windows at the Four Corners Health Care Center, the Yahrtzeit Wall & Nar Tamid at Har

Shalom, & altar backdrop at the Parkside Baptist Church all in Durango. She also made many

beautiful windows, doors, & other consigned pieces for friends & family as it was definitely a

labor of love.

Anita was one of a kind. Anyone she ever met would certainly agree with that statement. She

chose to stroll through life; shoulders back, wearing gold mary jane shoes, carrying a large

purse, & viewing life through “rose colored glasses” so she could absorb every detail of her

blessed life. She admittedly did not have an athletic bone in her body. She was an elegant

perfectionist with a hippie heart, & a remarkable racing stripe in her platinum hair. She loved

spoiling those she loved with surprises (to the extent that everything was a surprise & we all just

pretended to be shocked, so as to not spoil her fun). Her quirky demeanor brought joy to those

around her. Her loud laugh & big smile was infectious. Her home was filled with special

treasures from her travels & each item had a story & memory which she’d fondly share. She

loved repeating stories of her favorite memories, especially those which took place on the farm

& involved her animals, as well as those happy memories that were made with her beloved

husband “Chester Poo” in their 30 years together.

Anita was bred to be an overachiever, so that she was! She was the definition of picture perfect.

Her home was always company ready, although she let few visitors into her very private life. Her

stubborn attitude & sky-high expectations were a gift from her mother, Loranell, & her creative

spirit & love of helping others was from her father, LaVern.

She loved her family more than words can describe. Becoming Grandma Nini was by far her

greatest joy, which she declared on her vanity license plate. She adored taking the “little boys”

on Grandma-cations, teaching them how to also embrace the finer things & showing them her

unique zest for life.

She loved “Not Camping”, Belvedere martinis, going out for coffee, joy rides on her Betty Boop

scooter, her little dogs, notably Prunsie Pie & Sweet Raisin, to which she treated to Yappy Hour

almost daily. She shared her love of sparkly things with her daughters & close friends. She loved

creating & sharing special overly curated experiences with those she loved. She loved spending

time at their homes in Hawaii & Scottsdale with Chet, where they had created a beautiful life

together. Tassels, sea shells & cheetah print were her signature decor. “Tradition” fed her soul.

She wishes to be remembered by her famous (secret recipe) Mama Nini’s Fat & Creamy, coined

by her son-in-law, Justin, & fruit cakes, which she gifted at Christmas time. As well as, when you

see a Flamingo enjoying the great lawn of life, the velvet noses of braying donkeys, & Poppies,

which bloom in May on her birthday. Her favorite sayings were “Go for it!” & “Why not!?”

She was very opinionated & did things her own “Silly Anita” way, up until the very end. She

made a huge impact in her 71 years, & her loving memory & influence will linger in the hearts &

memories of those she knew & loved for generations to come.

Anita passed away from metastatic ocular cancer on Saturday, December 28, 2024 with her

daughters by her side. She is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Dr. Chester Wigton,

her parents, LaVern & Loranell Nelson, & her niece, Krystal Zillinger. She is survived by her

daughter, Sallie Kautter, son-in-law, Justin, & grandsons, Talisker & Cashel, her daughter, Sadie

Kay Short & her sister, Kristi Nelson. Others close to her heart were: Jacob Miles, Ginny Brown,

Robin & Steve Nichols & family, Bruce Wigton & his partner, Jeanine Surber, her Syrah Sisters,

her Coffee Club girlfriends, her P.E.O. Chapter CS sisters, Miss Margaret Turnell, her Kansas

family & a host of other wonderful friends she collected along her journey. In lieu of flowers,

please donate to Wills Eye Institute Ocular Cancer Research Fund in Philadelphia, PA, to the

direct care of “creatures” at Humane Society of La Plata County & the Peaceful Valley Donkey

Rescue of San Angelo, TX. Her last wishes were loudly proclaimed “No tears, & and No

casseroles!”.

A service will be held at Christ the King Lutheran Church on Saturday, 11-January at 10AM,

followed by a joyful celebration of life in the Mahogany Grille at the Strater Hotel at 12PM. Pink

or sparkly attire is requested. All who loved Anita are welcome!