Anita Salinas Rainey

Anita was born on September 3, 1954 in Fredricksburg, Texas just west of Austin to Nino and Lupe (Cruz) Salinas. She was the third of four daughters with sisters Marie, Lupe, and Eloise. Her family moved from Fredricksburg to San Diego in 1959 where Nino became a dry wall hanger for some thirty years until he retired. Anita earned her Associates Degree in Dental Assisting from Palomar College but was not successful in securing a job in this field but did find a job in the medical field as a hospital unit secretary at Pomarado Hospital. Anita and I were married on September 16, 1989 at the Rancho Bernardo Inn amongst family and friends, the best day of our lives. After Anita and I moved to Kansas City, Mo. in 1992, she decided to go to cosmetology school to become a manicurist and run her own business which she accomplished making many friends over the 14 years she was there. After I lost my job we decided to move back to the San Diego area to be close to her father, Nino, her sisters and their families and her nieces and nephews, which we did in 2008.

Anita had a passion and was gifted in arts and crafts, reading and cooking. She mastered needlepoint, crocheting and crafting anything she had an interest in trying which were quite a few. She was an avid reader and spent nearly every night reading before falling asleep finishing well over a hundred books. She also was a great cook and loved to read and collect cookbooks, cooking magazines and recipes. Anita also loved music and was gifted with a good singing voice. Her album collection and mine were almost identical when we got married. We loved the same musicians of the 60’s and 70’s like John Denver, James Taylor, Judy Collins, The Eagles and many, many more. The same was true of our love for movies. I hardly objected to anything she wanted to watch even Fried Green Tomatoes for the 20th time. Anita was known for her great laugh, her caring personality, her love of family and friends as she always found it so easy to talk to anyone, even complete strangers.

Anita was preceded in death by her mother Lupe Salinas, in 2003 and her father Nino Salinas, in 2016. Survived by her husband Gregg, her three sisters Marie Warner, Lupe Van Roy, and Eloise Vigliotti and their husbands Dale Warner, Harold Van Roy, and David Vigliotti. Survived also by her nephews Robert Salinas, Christopher and Alan Anderson, Brian Vigliotti and her niece Alaina Anderson and Alaina’s children Delaney, Daniel and Ayden Duren. Anita and I counted up her cousins one time of which she had 41. She was truly blessed with a large family who loved her dearly.

Flowers may be sent to Eternal Hills Mortuary and donations made to The American Cancer Society.