Tanya Anderson

Tanya Marie Anderson, age 44, passed away on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at St. John's Hospital in Oxnard, Calif. She was born in 1973, to Garry and Sandra Anderson of Rochester. She was a graduate of Mayo High School in Rochester and Marquette University in Milwaukee. She worked for Qwest Communications in St. Paul, AON in Chicago and York in Oxnard.

Tanya has always had a love of the water. From Happiness Resort on Ten Mile Lake, to the beaches of San Diego, to watching the sunsets while kayaking in the Oxnard harbor, nothing made her happier than being in flip-flops.

Tanya met her soulmate, Doug Cannon, at a cooking class in Chicago in 2006. They have been inseparable ever since and moved to Oxnard, Calif., together in 2013. There, they lived in the harbor, where they would spend every day near the water: walking the paths, kayaking, or walking to the beach. There have never been two people more perfect for each other than Tanya and Doug.

Tanya was an incredibly kind and generous person who always gave far more than she received. From her volunteer work to her personal relationships, she cared more about everyone else than herself. Her beautiful smile warmed the hearts of everyone that ever met her and her upbeat personality left an impression that will stick with them for the rest of their lives.

Tanya spent the last year and a half bravely battling breast cancer. She was bound and determined to beat the disease that ultimately took her, never giving up the tremendous fight. Even through the hardest times, she always fought with a smile on her face and still made everyone around her happy.

Tanya was preceded in death by her grandparents and her father, Garry. She is survived by her fiance, Doug Cannon; mother, Sandra Anderson; brother, Todd (Mary) Anderson; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and her nieces, Claire and Sophie Anderson.

Rather than a funeral, Tanya was honored in the way she wanted: a Celebration of Life attended by her closest family and friends.