ANITA HOMAN

1946 - 2020

HOMAN Anita Homan (1946-2020) Anita Homan died on May 21, 2020 in Arlington, Virginia, at age 73. Diagnosed in mid-April with aggressive lymphoma, she was under hospice care at home.

Anita was born on September 3, 1946, in Ingolstadt, Germany to Zenta and Eriks Reboks, who had recently fled Latvia to escape the Soviet invasion at the end of World War II. Anita was an only child.

In 1949, Anita and her parents emigrated to the United States, where they were sponsored by a Lutheran Church in Chicago, Illinois.

Anita attended public schools and was an excellent student. In the summer after her junior year, Anita won the All-Chicago championship for her age group in the 100-yard dash.

After graduating from the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle in 1967, Anita took a job of at the Continental Illinois National Bank in the Chicago Loop. It was there she met her future husband, Glen Homan. Anita and Glen were married in November 1970.

In the mid-1970s, Anita and Glen lived in Chicago, where Anita worked as a media buyer for the Campbell Mithun advertising agency. In 1977, shortly after the birth of their daughter Claire, Anita and Glen moved to Arlington, Virginia. In 1980, Anita gave birth to their second child, Andrew.

With characteristic resourcefulness and persistence, Anita secured her dream home in the Country Club Hills neighborhood in Arlington, though the house was never publicly listed. Over more than three decades in this residence, Anita would raise a family, entertain numerous friends, host weddings, and enjoy grandchildren visits-and ultimately, pass on peacefully.

After Andrew was born, Anita's parents relocated to Arlington. Anita was very close to her parents, whose primary focus in retirement was their grandchildren, Claire and Andrew.

Anita played an important role in Flair Graphics, an art and framing business with multiple galleries that her husband Glen acquired and operated in the DC area. Later, she was assistant to Elizabeth Campbell, the founder of public television station WETA. Despite demanding jobs, Anita was ever present in the lives of her children, often operating behind the scenes to ensure they enjoyed every minute of their childhood (and even adulthood) and were afforded every opportunity. Both of her children would go on to attend Yale. She loved visiting the campus and its environs, jokingly calling the Atticus Book & Coffee Shop "Abacus."

During the George W. Bush White House, Anita served as the Director of Personnel in the Office of Presidential Correspondence. She delighted family and friends with access to White House events and birthday letters from the President.

Later she worked in Alumni Relations at the Potomac School in McLean, Virginia, and as Assistant to the Head of School at Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland.

Anita was proud of her Latvian heritage and was active in the vibrant Latvian-American community. She particularly enjoyed attending Latvian songfests and speaking Latvian with her children and parents. It was their "secret" language when she wanted to communicate something private. While growing up in Chicago, she had many happy times at Garezers, a Latvian Recreation Center at Three Rivers, Michigan.

A devoted mother, Anita was fiercely loyal and supportive of her family. She enjoyed cheering for Andrew at Yale Heavyweight Crew races and visiting with her daughter in New York City for a "girl's weekend." She especially welcomed the births of each of her eight grandchildren. She cherished their visits to Arlington where she would eagerly make an early breakfast for them, watch them play in the yard, and help them pick from a collection of DVDs she had obtained from the local library. She also adored visiting her grandchildren in San Francisco, Manhattan, Cape Cod, Florida, Watch Hill and London.

She greatly enjoyed the Washington Golf and Country Club, where her children and grandchildren swam and played tennis. Anita planned wedding receptions for both Claire and Andrew at the Club, events which she executed with her signature style of loving perfection.

Above all, Anita valued honesty, loyalty and integrity. She was always the firmest supporter of her family and friends. Anita also had a remarkable memory for social and personal events, recalling in detail occurrences that happened decades earlier.

She had a fantastic sense of humor. She appreciated a good joke and loved to laugh with her family. When corrected or chastised by her children, she joked "You are going to miss me when I'm gone"-which is sadly so very true. Anita was the most wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and friend. All those who were lucky enough to know her will miss her dearly.

Anita is survived by her husband, Glen Homan of Arlington, VA; daughter, Claire Hadden and husband, Paul and their children, Caroline, Nicholas, William and Charlotte of London, England; son, Andrew Homan and his wife Marny and their children, Avery, Alexander, Campbell and James of San Francisco, CA.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Anita's memory to Latvian Center Garezers, 57732 Lone Tree Road, Three Rivers, MI 49093In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Anita's memory to Latvian Center Garezers, 57732 Lone Tree Road, Three Rivers, MI 49093