Adrienne Anderson

Adrienne (Salvas) Anderson passed away on March 17 surrounded by family and friends after a 3-year battle with breast cancer.

Adrienne was born at Marin General Hospital on August 25, 1966, just 3 minutes after her twin brother Andy. She was raised in Corte Madera and San Rafael and graduated from San Rafael High School in 1984. She attended college at Fresno State and graduated with a degree in sports nutrition in 1989.

At Fresno State, she met an aspiring Air Force pilot who convinced her to cut class to watch the San Francisco Giants on tv – it was a match made in heaven. Adrienne and Jim Anderson were married in San Anselmo, CA on January 13, 1990, and a short time later moved to Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi so Jim could attend pilot training. The South was quite a shock for a California girl, but they ended up spending 6 years in Mississippi, where she made lifelong friends and they welcomed their son Austin in 1994, followed by their son Nathan just 16 months later in 1996.

After Columbus it was off to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey for the next 4 years, where they made more lifelong friends. She enjoyed New Jersey a little more than Mississippi but was thrilled to move back to California to be closer to her family in 2000 when Jim began working for United Airlines.

They settled in Dixon where she was an active volunteer at the boys' schools, as well as involved in their sports endeavors, including coaching them on the Dixon Dolphins and Dixon High swim teams. Later, she volunteered for Meals on Wheels in Solano County, where she enjoyed helping seniors by delivering free meals and checking on them on a weekly basis. She was sad to have to give that up with her cancer diagnosis.

Adrienne was the heartbeat of our family. A dedicated wife and mother, she loved to host holidays and other celebrations at their home in Dixon, and later at their vacation home in Graeagle, where she could hike, swim in cold mountain lakes, snowshoe, and enjoy special times with friends and family. Adrienne was also an awesome "dog mom" – to Sydney, Chelsea, Howie and Molly, and most recently to Bochy, a nod to her other love – The San Francisco Giants.

Adrienne was fortunate to have been cared for by the outstanding team at David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base, with special thanks to Dr. Clare Hiles, her oncologist, and Nurse Mackie, who was with her every step of the way until the very end.

Adrienne was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Marie Salvas. She is survived by her husband Jim, sons Austin and Nathan, her brother Andy (Lisa) Salvas, and sister Katie (Dave) Minke. "Auntie A" is also survived by nieces and nephews Hayden & Hilary Salvas, William & Julia Minke and Robert, James, & Angelica Anderson. She leaves behind an amazing group of extended family and friends scattered all over the U.S., who all feel this loss deeply.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, April 8 at the Yin Ranch, 6319 Pleasants Valley Road, Vacaville. The gates will open at 11 a.m. and the program will begin at 12 noon. Food & refreshments will be provided.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Adrienne's memory to Thriving Pink (Thrivingpink.org), a non-profit organization that provides support and assistance to women battling breast cancer.