Juanita Baumgartner

Juanita Marguerite Baumgartner passed away on October 27th, 2019 in Seattle, WA at the age of 94. She was born on September 16th, 1925 in Puyallup, WA to Albert Baumgartner and Helen Wiese Baumgartner in the family home that was built by her grandfather in 1908. She attended Spinning Elementary School and loved playing outside with the children in her neighborhood plus trying to keep up with her two older brothers. She was a very proud member of the Puyallup High School class of 1944. At the age of seven, she developed osteomyelitis, a bone disease. For the next eight years, she endured many operations in order to save her leg. This caused her to become interested in a career in the medical profession. She went on to become one of the first students in the College of Puget Sound’s Occupational Therapy program graduating in 1948. She was thrilled this past June to attend her 75th class reunion and share her experiences with the new students at UPS. In 1951 after internships at Leahi and Queens Hospitals in Honolulu, Hawaii, she accepted a job at Leahi and spent the next 30 years loving her life in Hawaii. Over the years, she worked with many patients that had tuberculosis, leprosy, Cerebral Palsy, and were quadriplegics. While attending a workshop, she met people who were involved with Honolulu Community Theater. She spent over 25 years working with them as a stage manager, costume designer, and makeup artist. She also volunteered for over 40 years with Hawaii Opera Theater, going back each January even after she retired to continue being a costume seamstress and dresser for the singers. Besides loving her life in Hawaii, she loved, loved to travel. She visited all seven continents and over 60 countries as she traveled around the world. She always said she was born with “itchy feet.” In 1981 she returned to Puyallup to care for her mother and spent the next 38 years enjoying time with family. She loved picnics, especially at Mt. Rainier, playing cards, and continuing to do many craft projects for family members. Even at the end, she was an avid reader, worker of jumbles and crossword puzzles.
Auntie (as we called her) is survived by the following nieces and nephews; Kathy Wallace (Mike), Mary Helen Mann (Dana), Jana Smith (Steve), David Baumgartner (Catherine), Gigi Tischbern (Ed), and Kristina Zimmerman (Erich). She was also very close to her great nieces and nephews: Heather Anderson (Steve), Ian Wallace (Shawna), Trevor Mann (Lauren), Megan Hackett (Nathaniel), Andrew Baumgartner (Lauren), Karina and Erich Zimmerman. Plus, she found great joy in her ten great-great nieces and nephews. She was a much loved daughter, sister, auntie, family member and friend.
Viewing will be on Friday, November 8th from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Funeral Services will be held at Powers Funeral Home in Puyallup on Saturday, November 9th at 11:00 a.m. There will be a reception immediately following the service at Powers Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.