Anna Beatrice Bolinger

Anna Beatrice Bolinger Wenatchee, WA Anna Beatrice Bolinger passed away on October 6, 2011, at the age of 90, after a brief battle with cancer. She was residing at RiverWest Retirement Center. She was born December 1, 1920, in Rosebud, SD to Jess Mitchell and Laurene (May) Mitchell. She grew up and attended school in Nebraska, until her family moved to Washington State during the Depression. She always said that Washington State was "God's Country." Anna met her husband, Myron "Mike" Bolinger while working for his sister as the "hired girl," helping with their children and chores on their ranch on Badger Mountain. After she had earned enough money to finish her schooling, she rejoined her family in Marysville, WA and attended Marysville High School, graduating in June 1939. She then returned to Wenatchee and she and Mike were married August 23, 1939. They settled in East Wenatchee on Highline Drive, where their orchard was located. Anna and Mike had four children, Carl, Nancy, Loren and Rick. She was very involved in all their school, sports and music activities. Having lived through the Depression, she was known to be able to stretch a dollar to the max and could feed her family of six with one can of tuna and a can of chili for lunch. Anna packed apples for Highline Growers until she and Mike had their own packing shed. In 1964, they built their first packing and cold storage facility, located where the East Wenatchee Safeway parking lot is now. Later, they formed Myron Bolinger and Sons, which was located on Baker Flats. Anna was called "Anna B" by much of her family. Her son, Rick, started 'Anna B's Fruit Stand' in honor of her at the Baker Flats location. They were very active in square dancing and were charter members of the Cascade Twirlers. They gave square dance lessons to many couples in the basement of their home and later at The Barn. After retiring, they began to golf and spent numerous days enjoying that sport at Three Lakes in Wenatchee and at their winter home in Sun Lakes, AZ. They had been married 57 years when Mike passed away in 1996. Anna continued to live in their home until 2007. In the summers, she enjoyed working in her yard and garden. In the winter, she kept busy reading and doing handwork, making many afghans for her family and friends. She also enjoyed making trips to the casino at Mill Bay and playing bingo at the Wenatchee Valley Senior Center. In 2007, she moved to RiverWest Retirement Center and considered it to be her home. She enjoyed all the activities there and was very proud to have knitted over 700 hats, which were donated to local school children. Survivors include her daughter, Nancy (Dave) Dahlen of East Wenatchee; sons, Rick Bolinger of Wenatchee and Loren (Barbara) Bolinger of Everett; brothers, Dean (Lily) Mitchell of Marysville and Don (Lucille) Mitchell of Valentine, NE; grandsons, David Cross of East Wenatchee and Josh Bolinger of Austin, TX; granddaughter, Shannon Hoover of Pasco, WA; numerous great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews who were very special to her. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Myron Bolinger; son, Carl Bolinger; granddaughter, Sandra Stanaway; three brothers, George, Charles and Robert Mitchell; and three sisters, Ruth Ackerman, Bonnie June Mitchell and Marjorie Rix. The family would like to express their deep appreciation to the staff at RiverWest for their loving care of our mother for the four years that she resided there. She felt so at home and the staff was like family to her. You all were a very positive influence and made her last years very enjoyable. A Graveside Service will be held at Evergreen Memorial Park in East Wenatchee on Tuesday, October 11, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Wenatchee Valley Humane Society. Arrangements are by Telford's Chapel of the Valley.

Anna Beatrice Bolinger

December 1, 1919 - October 6, 2011