Anita was born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, on November 9, 1941, to Tony and Alice Sherkness. Growing up she participated in Catholic services at the Lithuanian church in town. She attended the Mahanoy Area High School. After high school, she moved to Washington, D.C. to work at the US Information Agency. She arrived in DC in time for John Kennedy’s inauguration as well as his funeral.

At that time, she lived at the Evangeline Residence on L Street NW, a hotel for young, single women working in the city.

A friend introduced her to Tom Cronberry. The couple married May 12, 1962, and moved to an apartment in Brentwood near St. James Catholic Church in Mount Rainier. She gave birth to her daughter, Kathleen, in September 1963. The family moved to the house on Valley Way in Cheverly in September 1964.

Anita lived in that house until her death sixty years later. She and Tom took an active part in community life. She was a member of the Garden Club and the Homemakers Club.

Their son Steve was born in March of 1968.

1977 was a difficult year. Anita’s father died in May. A month later, Tom died suddenly after what appeared to be a successful operation.

Anita returned to work as a secretary in the Guidance Office at Elizabeth Seton High School and then moved on to the clerical staff in Senator Alan Cranston’s office.

A friend introduced her to the recently widowed Joe Clark at the end of 1985. They married in July 1986. Over the following years, she blended two families with four kids, four cats, three dogs and two houses into a family in her home on Valley Way in Cheverly.

She joined the Congressional Choir in 1987 and was a member of the group that performed at the inauguration of George H. W. Bush in January 1988.

After Senator Cranston lost his bid for reelection in 1992, she found work with Greg Powell as a receptionist and secretary in his Riverdale law office. She remained in that position until her retirement in 2012.

Her mother passed away in June of 1997.

After she retired, she dedicated herself to home and garden and taking care of her two Lab-Border Mix dogs – Max and Jez. She was also active in the Cheverly Women’s Book Club.

Anita was naturally adventurous and athletic. Moving from small town Mahanoy City to Washington D.C. was an enormous leap. Before that came little things like playing basketball as long as it was played by men’s rules. She and some friends slipped away from the Senior Prom to take a roller coaster ride in the dark. One of her best friends was Bob Zuber, the class cutup.

Football became her sport after she married Tom. She became a committed Redskin fan, even turning her TV room into a shrine with photos of Theismann, Riggins and The Hogs covering the walls. She carried on an amicable rivalry with relatives and friends who chose to route for the Cowboys or the Eagles.

After Tom died, Anita took Kathy and Steve to Disneyland, where they enjoyed the rides, especially the roller coasters, the beaches and Epcot Center. Later the three of them travelled to Hawaii to visit a cousin who was stationed there. She had special memories of visiting the Pearl Harbor Museum and stopping on the roadside to pick mangoes.

After her marriage to Joe, Anita, Jen and Chris visited Norfolk to see where he grew up. Then they traveled to Boston and on to Salem to satisfy her curiosity about witches.

She joined him in Chandler, Arizona, near Phoenix, while he was on a consulting assignment. They visited Sedona and the set where many Western movies had been filmed.

They toured California, visiting the Hearst Castle, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and even wandering across the border to Tijuana.

After Joe retired, they spent three weeks touring Scotland and Ireland.

Anita and Joe covered a good part of Prince George’s County, Maryland, on their tandem bike.

She is survived by her husband, Joe, their four children, Kathy, Steve, Jen and Chris, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, by her sister, Rose and by many nephews and nieces.

The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, donations to a cause close to Anita’s heart: K-9s For Warriors at 114 Camp K9 Road, Ponte Vedra, Florida 32081.

Viewing

Thursday April 25, 2024

3:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Friday April 26, 2024

9:00 AM to 11:00 AM (Service to follow at 11:00 AM)

Service

Friday April 26, 2024

11:00 AM

Repast to follow Service