Jean Marie (Turner) Gartzke of Santa Barbara passed away on April 13, 2023, after a three-year illness.
She was born April 22, 1932, to Robert I. Turner and Daisy Mae (Cornwell) Turner in Arlington, Virginia, the fourth of six children. After graduation from high school, she went to work as a secretary for the Army Security Agency, where she met a radio engineer named Fred Gartzke.
They were married on Sept. 7, 1951, in Arlington, and soon thereafter moved to Fairfax, Virginia. They welcomed two sons, Michael and Keith, and in 1971 moved to Santa Barbara, California.
Jean worked as a secretary for two insurance claims offices prior to retirement.
Her senior high school yearbook showed she was “noted for her conscientiousness.’” She enjoyed making and framing counted cross-stitch pictures for family and friends. Weddings and babies were popular occasions for her creations.
She also enjoyed cooking and baking. Her homemade cookie and candy platters at Christmas were legendary. We thought her aebleskivers were better than Solvang’s!
Favorite places included walks at Shoreline Park and the waterfront. She was a frequent borrower of fiction books at the Goleta Library. Recipients of her Thanksgiving and Christmas cards always commented on her beautiful penmanship.
She was predeceased by her husband, Fred, of 43 years.
She is survived by her brother, Robert Turner Jr. of Montross, Virginia; sons Michael (Brenda) of Goleta and Keith of Santa Barbara; her grandchildren, Rollin (Jeannette) of Goleta, Matthew (Candice) of Sammamish, Washington, and Michele (Taylor) and great granddaughter Olenna of Goodyear, Arizona; and numerous nieces and nephews around the country.
We would like to thank the staff at Casa Beaumont for her care during her illness.
For those who choose to do so, you may make a donation to your favorite charity in remembrance. Or you may donate to the Friends of the Goleta Library, P.O. Box 635, Goleta CA 93116, or the Goleta Noontime Rotary (GNRC) Charitable Fund, P.O. Box 164, Goleta, CA 93116.