Joan Fleming Anich

1937 - 2011

Joan Fleming Anich passed away peacefully on Saturday, November 19, 2011 from leukemia at Eisenhower Medical Center with family at her side. Joan was born January 4, 1937 in Buffalo, New York and spent her childhood and teen years in Indianapolis, Indiana. After high school she graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Journalism and English. After college she taught school for a few years. In the summer of 1960 she and her friend Katie decided to take an extended vacation and travel through Europe. While boarding the ship for Europe in Quebec, Canada, she met her future husband George Anich. Their romance continued and blossomed aboard ship and throughout her travels in Europe, meeting in different cities and countries along the way. In lieu of hitchhiking around Europe, she purchased an Austin Healy sports car which she fondly referred to as Pitiful Pearle. Returning home, their romance continued and she chased George until he caught her. George and Joan were married November 25, 1961. They shared their lives together living in Wisconsin (Elm Grove) for 35 years raising six kids and where she became very successful at selling real estate once the kids were all in school. George and Joan moved to Palm Desert, California once they became "empty nesters" in 1993 and they have called Palm Desert home for the past 19 years. Joan was a sales executive with Marriott Desert Springs Villas and enjoyed the game of tennis, playing at Sunrise Country Club for many years. She also enjoyed writing. A few years ago, she and George started traveling the states. They developed a web site and Joan was able to fulfill a life-long passion by authoring many articles recounting their travels. Using her pen name, Joan Fleming, she wrote about subjects that interested her and chronicled them on her website TravelWritersPost.com. One year they took an Amtrak train from Palm Springs to Chicago and Joan chronicled their experience. Another year they traveled in their motor home for four months and ten thousand miles visiting, writing and photographing their way through 12 State Fairs - and eating all of the famous state fair foods! Following that trip they went on to Albuquerque, New Mexico to write about and photograph the hot air balloon festival. Another year there was another ten thousand mile motor home trip which brought Joan to an environment that she thoroughly enjoyed - being near and around horses - thus visiting and writing about rodeos was a natural. As the navigator, each of these excursions somehow always included a visit back to Wisconsin for a lengthy visit with her kids, grandkids and dear friends. The one travel memory that Joan spoke of so fondly was a Christmas gathering of all 17 family members on a mountaintop cabin in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Joan is survived by her husband, George; her six children, Mark, Lori (David) Lentz, Nick, Stacy Schmoldt, Chris (Kris) and Jason; her dear sister, Judy (Harold) Salsman; and grandchildren, Katelyn, Karly, Cassidy, and Zachary Lentz, Abigail, Alexandra and Bailey Schmoldt, and Claire, Samuel, and Mary Grace Anich. Joan was preceded in death by her father, Roger Fleming; and mother, Mildred Fleming of Indianapolis, Indiana. Joan had a quick wit, a kind word for everyone, sincere smile at all times and the patience of a saint (she had to - in order to live with her husband George for fifty years). Joan will be dearly missed by all who were fortunate enough to have known and loved her. A Celebration of Life will be held at Palm Desert Sun City Mountain View Clubhouse in the Ventana Room located at 38-180 Del Webb Boulevard on Saturday December 10, 2011 between 4:00 and 6:00 PM with a Pictorial Remembrance at 5:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations can be made in Joan's memory to Luci Curci Cancer Center at Eisenhower Medical Center, 39-000 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270.

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