Anne Simantel

Apr 1, 1937 -

Jun 16, 2023

Anne Simantel passed away peacefully on June 16, 2023, at Anchorage Regional Hospital.

Anne was born on April 1, 1937, in Beacon, N.Y., to George Radcliffe and Margorie Hustis. She grew up in Genham-Fishkill area, graduating from Wrappingers Central School in 1954. She enlisted and served honorably in the Army from 1955-1957. She was a secretary in research and development at the Pentagon. Anne always felt extremely lucky to have landed such a "Primo" duty station as her first job assignment, and just loved being in the Washington, D.C., area. She met Dennis Simantel there and they were married in October 1956. He was transferred to Ft. Richardson and left a month later while Anne stayed and finished her obligations before joining him six months later. They both left Alaska in 1958, so her husband could take his Army discharge at Ft. Lewis, Wash. From there they lived in Portland, Ore., for three years while he attended electronics college. They returned to Alaska in October 1961 when he was hired by the FAA and lived here ever since.

She was a stay-at-home mom while their children were young. Anne was always happily involved in their activities such as holding offices in the PTA, Abbott-O-Rabbit Little League and the Rabbit Creek Lioness Club. She also had a Girl Scout Troop for several years and was the neighborhood chairman for the Rabbit Creek-Oceanview area for the Susitna Girl Scout Council. She was employed through the Sears Service Department for nine years, traveling throughout, and finally retiring in 1993 from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Since then, she and her husband traveled extensively around the Lower 48 and always had a great time!

Her hobbies were vast; she loved cooking and baking, sewing and crafts and selling her jewelry and sillies at the local Christmas craft bazaars. Anne spent years researching and working on her family history. She was a member of the Episcopal Church and the Anchorage Genealogy Society.

She is survived by her husband of 66 years, Dennis Simantell; daughter, Christie Janusiewicz and husband Bill; son, Michael Simantel; and her most favorite little loves of her life, granddaughters Melanie Flowers, Coreen Simantel, Sara Janusiewicz and Violet Castro, all of whom reside in Anchorage; and brother, Eddie Traver of Fishkill.

She was preceded in death by her parents, George and Marjorie; stepfather, Pete Traver; daughter, Nancy Simantel-Morrill and husband Galen Morrill; sisters, Maggie McCormick, Besty Bounds, Janet Whalen; and brother, Peter Hustis.

Per Anne's request, no funeral will be held. Her ashes will be scattered on the water by her favorite camping place in summer 2023.