Anita Fojtik-Craggs

On February 8, 2025, at the age of 66, Anita Rose Fojtik-Craggs took her final breath, surrounded by the family she spent her life cherishing. She leaves behind a lifetime of love, commitment, and unwavering devotion to family and friends she held dear.

Anita was born in April 1958, in Phillips, Wisconsin, one of six daughters to Marie and Peter Fojtik. After graduating from Phillips High School, she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire and a Master of Science of Education from the University of Wisconsin River Falls. As an educator and counselor, she shaped minds and hearts, always leading with compassion. She held adjunct teaching positions at several local colleges and universities and was a substitute teacher in the Stillwater (District 834) and Hastings School Districts.

To Anita, family was not just important – but it was everything. She treasured the roles of daughter, wife, mother of her daughter and stepdaughter, sister to her five sisters, and Aunt to her many nieces and nephews. She celebrated the milestones, but she also cherished the quiet, everyday moments. A late-night phone call, a handwritten note, a kind word when it mattered most. She had a way of making people feel seen, of remembering the little things that made them feel valued.

Anita fought for what she believed in. She did not just talk about change—she made it happen. She spent countless hours working to improve schools, pushing for levy efforts, supporting board elections, volunteering for PTA, being a Girl Scout leader, teaching Faith Formation and campaigning for her husband’s local elections. She believed in making the world a better place.

Anita also enjoyed adventure. She biked across China, camped in the Porcupine Mountains, kayaked in Lake Superior and the BWCA, snorkeled in Hawaii, and climbed the Rocky Mountains in Colorado as part of many unforgettable trips with family and friends. She also enjoyed many evening meetings with her book club friends debating literary themes and sharing family updates.

And then there was her home—the gardens where she nurtured the growth of many vegetables and flowers and the kitchen where she poured love into every meal, she made for the people she loved. You did not just eat at Anita’s table—you always felt at home there.

Anita is survived by her husband, Robert, of nearly 30 years; her daughter, Anna (Harrison); her stepdaughter, Genevieve (Harshad); her mother, Marie Fojtik; her sisters Shirley (Alan), Elizabeth (Mike), Gloria (Michael), Patricia (Chuck), Celestine (Bill); and many nephews and nieces whose lives she touched.

A Celebration of Life will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Lake St. Croix Beach, Minnesota, on Saturday, February 15, with visitation at 10:00 am, service at 11:00 am, and lunch to follow. Flowers will be received at the Church prior to the service and donations can be made as a memorial in her honor to the Faith Formation and Choir Programs at St. Francis of Assisi. We will miss Anita and will never, ever forget her.