4th Ave. DQ helps late worker's kid

It is the least they can do for someone who was the heart and soul of the Fourth Avenue mainstay, said Bruce Hungate, whose family has owned the Dairy Queen since 1952.

“Lissette was very adamant about giving her daughter more choices than she had in life, and it began with her education,” he said.

“When she passed away, I just felt like it was in the spirit of, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ We’re simply part of that village.”

Chittenden’s daughter, Tatianna Lizarraga, had just turned 9 when Chittenden died July 30, 2010, when she lost control of her car on Interstate 10 during a monsoon, according to newspaper reports. She was 25.

Chittenden started at the Dairy Queen part-time when she was 17. Since she had to drive down from Catalina, Hungate said he didn’t think she would last long.

But when she graduated high school, she went to work full-time, and by the time she was 22 she was helping manage the store.

That didn’t come as a surprise to her family, who said Chittenden was always full of energy and willing to face a challenge.

“Lissette was tough. She kept going to school, went to Pima and got an associate’s degree in science. At age 23 she had a two-story house, a brand-new car. She was going to go to university,” said her mother, Maria Chittenden.

“I believe in God and I believe she was doing everything in a hurry because she had to go so soon,” she said.

Hungate and his family became close with Chittenden during her time at Dairy Queen. His son and her daughter shared a birthday and would often celebrate together.

“She was one of these incredible people,” Hungate said, and he’s happy to be in a position to help Tatianna with college.

Short of the sales tax, he said, all Aug. 13 sales go into a 529 college savings plan. Along with the missing sales, Hungate also covers the cost of supplies, staff and the franchise fee that day.

Hungate, who says he’ll continue to do this until Tatianna turns 18, said Chittenden would be proud of her daughter, who is an accomplished athlete and a good student.

“She’s doing everything she needs to do to make it worth what we’re doing,” he said.