Camille Anter

Treasurer

Hi All — I’m originally from Wisconsin (yes, I’m a Cheesehead!), then lived in Cleveland, Ohio for 40 years after I married my husband, Dick, in 1980.  Dick and I met when I was 18, and he was 20, but we didn’t marry until reconnecting 8 years later.  I started my career as a stockbroker for Merrill Lynch, then became Director of Banking & Cash Management for Scott & Fetzer Corp. Dick loved politics and decided to run for Mayor of Fairview Park, a Cleveland suburb, when he was 27 yrs. old, and against all odds, was elected in 1980 — at the time, he was the youngest Mayor of a chartered city in the country.  I stepped into my role as First Lady of Fairview Park reluctantly — I was only 25 at the time and had no interest in politics.  But Dick managed to make it fun — lots of dinners out, so I didn’t have to cook, and special events like riding the city firetruck around town on Christmas Eve dressed as Santa & Mrs. Claus, throwing candy out to all the kids.  Later on, Dick transitioned to business and became Director of Downtown Development for the City of Cleveland.  I worked part-time in real estate & banking while raising our three children.  My last job before retirement was Coordinator of the St. John Festival of the Arts, a major art festival near my home in Cleveland.

Dick and I were both excited when our last child graduated from college in 2011 — no more tuition payments, and no more mortgage payments after paying it off that same year.  We finally had time & money to travel and got busy making plans.  Little did we know that our happy life was about to take a drastic turn.  Dick was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma (an incurable blood cancer) in October of 2011.  He had a stem cell transplant in 2012 and was on constant treatment until he passed from a heart attack in 2019 while we were on a trip to the Holy Land.  We had spent the last 2 years of his life traveling around the country together as Patient Ambassadors for Takeda Pharmaceuticals, talking to patients (and their caregivers) who were newly diagnosed with MM. This was his way of making something good come out of his situation, and gave us both a sense of purpose while dealing with the reality of this awful disease.

Soon after Dick passed, my son and his wife left Cleveland for a new job in Plano, Texas.  My daughters were living in New York and El Paso, so I no longer had any children living near me.  Since I already had two sisters living in Dallas, my son suggested I sell the house and move there, too, which I did in 2020.  Covid gave me a great excuse to stay home and clean out my house for six months!  I live in Irving now, near my son and two precious grandchildren (a third grandchild lives in El Paso).  My sister, Danni, who is friends with Joy, told me about The Widow’s Journey, and I started going to meetings in 2021.  This organization has been a godsend for me because I found wonderful friends who understand the emotional roller coaster of being a widow, something my married friends can’t relate to.  I am honored to be a Board member of this wonderful organization and look forward to assisting our members in the years ahead.