Anita R Dominocielo-Ho
In Memorium
Anita Dominocielo-Ho passed away quietly at home, surrounded by family and friends, on Friday, December 27th, 2024, just two weeks after her 81st birthday.
Anita was born in Colon, Panama to Ho Chi Puy (Jack Ho) and Anile (Ana) Monrose. Her mother eventually re-married a soldier, James R. Morgan, and Anita described herself as an “Army Brat” moving around from base to base, primarily in Germany, Kansas, Pennsylvania and Panama. By 1967, Anita, now 24, was waitressing at the Officer’s Club in Panama, when she met a young Santa Barbara man, Lt. Louis McFarland. They were married on November 13, 1967. Louis shipped out to Viet Nam a short three months later but made Anita promise that if anything happened to him, she was to finish college for the both of them and move to Santa Barbara because, “…there are good people there and they will take care of you”. Lt. Louis McFarland received a purple heart and Bronze Star and was killed in combat (2/27/68) during the Tet Offensive. His plaque can be seen on the Santa Barbara Veteran’s Memorial Walk at Elings Park.
And so, Anita McFarland arrived in Santa Barbara in March of 1968. This quiet, shy, diminutive Gold Star Wife was about to become a force in the Santa Barbara community.
Anita began at City College and finished her Sociology degree at U.C.S.B. She worked as a counselor at the YMCA and soon found her way to the City of Santa Barbara Recreation Department, Developmental Programs where she began to nurture her relationships with the individuals who make up our disabled community. Anita quickly rose to be the Recreation Supervisor of the program and, concurrently, the South Coast Area Director for Special Olympics. During her over thirty years of stewardship, Anita knew and served every participant, their family members and their caregivers.
Along the way, Anita co-founded the Santa Barbara Triathlon (originally a benefit for Special Olympics) and took delight in helping to organize and produce (“Anita’s Army” of volunteers) many of the Recreation Department activities from “Devel” (developmentally disabled) summer camp, to dances in the gym, to LA Dodger games, to the Thanksgiving Luncheon, the United Way Day of Caring and dozens of other events over the years. In 1980, Anita was elected to the SB Athletic Round Table and given the Russ Hargreaves Award for leadership in producing quality sports programs for the Santa Barbara Community.
When Anita “retired”, she immediately began 3 new jobs. She joined the SB Kiwanis Club and served as president her second and third years, developed the Kiwanis Aktion Club for otherwise abled individuals, sponsored Cleveland School and was deeply involved in the many ongoing Kiwanis activities for our community. Anita continued organizing the Recreation Department’s Children’s Parade for several years after her retirement. She also became involved in Summer Solstice, helping Claudia Bratton organize and produce this wonderful artistic community celebration.
In recent years, Anita’s pride and joy was her development of two Culinary Arts Programs for High School students at the East Side and West Side Community centers. Anita’s Culinary Arts Programs acted as feeder programs to the City College Culinary Arts Program. Working with four different chefs over the years, students would take the course two and even three times over their high school years. These students delighted in being able to provide their families with nutritious meals that they had “chefed”. Their smiling faces was Anita’s joy.
In her own high school days, Anita was a track athlete, known for her sprinting ability. In her thirties, she turned to long distance running, completing the Santa Barbara, Lompoc and Maui marathons.
Anita relished in the loving care given her by the wonderful doctors, nurses and staff at Ridley Tree Cancer Center. None better.
Anita is survived by husband Victor, son Gabe and grandson Vince; brothers Juan Ho, Dennis Morgan and sister Carol Sandoval. Brother Richard Morgan pre-deceased Anita.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Anita’s name to the Kiwanis Club of Santa Barbara or Special Olympics. As we all know, Anita was not one to celebrate her many accomplishments. The family is hoping to create a memorial in Anita’s favorite Elings Park in the coming months. For all her good works, many, many people in the Santa Barbara community can say, “Anita was a friend of mine…she taught me to love”.
Anita had a refreshingly direct way of approaching life: Do good work every day, always keep showing up and, if you knew her during her long battle with cancer, never surrender.