Irene Anschuetz
Leaving a legacy of memories, a family generation has ended with the passing of Irene Anschuetz in Santa Barbara, CA on February 20, 2024.
A Santa Barbara native, Edith Irene Miller was born to Ernest and Marie (Peralta) Miller at St. Francis Hospital on April 1, 1926. She never liked the name Edith and most friends and family were surprised to learn of her given name, as she always was known as Irene or “Cookie” to family. Irene was predeceased by seven siblings and their spouses, Elizabeth McCormick, Evelyn Durrah, Laraine Vanlandingham, Ernest, Marilyn, Robert, and Richard Miller.
A 1944 graduate of Santa Barbara High School, Irene played basketball, admittedly one of the shortest players on the team. Quite the social butterfly, she often shared memories of friends and school activities. She was proud to be the first in her family to receive a high school diploma.
After graduating from SBHS, Irene joined thousands of other ‘Rosie the Riveters” in the war effort, traveling to Lompoc and working at Camp Cooke, the predecessor to Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Irene and Charles “Andy” Anschuetz married in 1948. The first house they rented as a married couple was on Blanchard Street on Santa Barbara’s Eastside. Rent was steep, they said, at $25.00 per month. They later bought a home on Mesa School Lane (for $11,000) and in later years moved “up the Mesa” to a home with a cherished view of the ocean.
The Mesa neighborhood was the home where Irene and Andy raised 2 sons, Charles “Chuck” and Scott. Many meals were shared with an “open door” policy for all of Irene’s “adopted” sons which included holiday celebrations highlighted by homemade tacos, enchiladas, rice and beans, recipes handed down by her mother. Chuck recalls one of his mother’s greatest gifts being when she decided to not relent into Andy’s desire to move to Michigan and today he still says, “Thanks Mom for raising me in Santa Barbara, rather than Saginaw.”
Irene was a familiar face to many, having worked at Otts Hardware and for over 30 years in the catalog department at Sears where she made lifelong friends. April Fools Day was a never ending concession to birthday hijinks with work friends and family always doing their best to top the pranks of the previous year. She could rarely go anywhere around town without someone saying, “Don’t I know you?” and often they found to have something or someplace in common.
Fun times were enjoyed with numerous RV camping trips throughout the western US. Skamokawa, Washington, Brice Canyon, Utah, Patrick’s Point, and Kings Canyon were always favorites as well as visits to Cachuma and El Capitan for local getaways filled with good food and cheer. Between camping trips, cruises to celebrate special milestones (or just retirement in general) were shared, with planning and packing almost as much fun as the trip itself. Irene was a skilled baker, nothing beat her cakes and breads. Her plum jam recipe is treasured.
When life slowed down in later years, Irene enjoyed an occasional day at the Chumash Casino. She loved the Turner Classic Movie channel and even when her memory became cloudy, Irene could name off each of the stars from the past. A diehard Laker fan, she rarely missed a game, often watching it while on the phone with her sister Elizabeth. While both in their late 80’s, they were treated with a visit from Bill Bertka. The “girls” were thrilled, as giddy as teenagers and the moment was truly a highlight as they approached their nonagenarian years.
Irene’s life is celebrated by her family, Chuck and Ellie, Scott, grandsons J.J. and Bill Owen and her great-grandchildren, Nora and Daniella. She is the favorite aunt of numerous nieces and nephews, as well as ‘the grands’. Irene would say, at her age there’s no one left in the family to dispute this claim.
For those who wish, a donation to English Springer Rescue America (ESRA https://www.springerrescue.org/) in memory of Irene would be welcomed. Private interment will be at Calvary Cemetery, Santa Barbara next to her husband, Andy (decd. 2010), and near her sister Elizabeth and Alex, her parents, and brother Richard. She always said her niche is specially placed next to an electrical outlet to visit with popcorn and a blender for margaritas. Raise a toast to a life well lived and a woman well loved whose extraordinary wit will not be forgotten.