Obituary of Frances Anhut

Francie Anhut passed away October 24 after an heroic 16-month battle with cancer. She was 63. Born Frances Marie, in Louisville, Kentucky, to William and Mary Claire Anhut, Francie spent her early life with her eight brothers and sisters in Ypsilanti, Michigan. She has called Boulder home for nearly 23 years. She received a bachelor’s degree from Newton College of the Sacred Heart, Newton Centre, Massachusetts, and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University. Following a stellar career in the dynamic 1980s Hi Tech industry, Francie switched gears and decided to devote her considerable skills to the not-for-profit education world. Among her many accomplishments in that arena was the rebranding the Foundation for Boulder Valley Schools as Impact on Education, where she raised millions for Boulder Valley public education as CEO. She also partnered with the Boulder Rotary Club to develop Crayons to Calculators, a program that provided backpacks loaded with all the essentials needed to begin the school year to needy students. The program exists to this day. Francie also served as director for strategic partnerships for the American Indian College Fund in Denver. She finished her not-for-profit career as executive director of the Community College of Denver Foundation. Her goal there was to create an environment where a community college education was considered not only a smart choice but a cool one as well. Through her illness, she never lost sight of that goal. Francie communicated with her staff at CCD until days before she died. Francie was an avid football fan, movie goer and reader. The recommendations on her Goodreads website were considered spot-on. She was able to pick Oscar winners with surprising accuracy. Francie had the gift of making every person who came in contact with her better in some way. Her circles of friends were vast and she loved to create events where the circles would intersect. Something magical almost always happened, as a result. Francie is survived by her adoring husband, Kit Hollingshead, her parents, Mary Claire and William Anhut, her daughter, Kelly Hyatt, step-daughters Petra and Eris Hollingshead, and her eight brothers and sisters, Bill Anhut Jr., Amy Hadley, Charles Anhut, Jill Epstein, Tom Anhut, Jeff Anhut, Matt Anhut, Chris Anhut, and their families. Special thanks from the entire family goes out to the nurses and staff at TRU Community Care for guiding us and Francie through her final weeks. In lieu of flowers, Francie asked that donations be made to the Francie Anhut Scholarship Fund at the Community College of Denver Foundation. Donations can be made at ccd-foundation.org. Specify the Francie Anhut Scholarship Fund in the Notes section. A celebration of life will be held at the Boulder Theater, November 16, 2016, from 4 to 6:30 p.m.