Juanita Bernice Vochatzer was born in Electra, Texas on April 11, 1921.  She passed away January 2, 2023 in Yakima, Washington

She is survived by her daughter, (Marie) Annette Harter and son-in-law, Peter H. Harter of Naches, WA and grandson, Sean James Murphy of Rogers, AR. She was the last of a family of 8 brothers & sisters.

Juanita and her husband Fred owned the Duchess Apparel in Sedro-Woolley from 1962-1989. Their other business, Ben Franklin Variety was originally Convery’s, then Equal’s Variety. They purchased it from Don Equals, a shirt-tail relative who gave Juanita and Fred jobs after the end of WWII. Her final years were spent near her daughter in Yakima, WA.

Juanita met Fred on her birthday, April 11, 1945. They married on December 16, 1945 in Monterey, CA. When they loaded up and headed to Washington immediately after the wedding, Juanita committed to Fred to try living in Washington for just one year. During their 70 years of marriage, they never looked back!

Over the years she belonged to the Burlington Golf and Country Club, Sedro-Woolley Soroptimist, and served as leader for her daughter Annette’s Camp Fire group.

Juanita and Fred loved fishing and boating. They owned a series of boats over the years, each one larger than the last, finishing up with the Roadrunner, a 38’ Bertram yacht in which they fished the San Juans and explored into the Canadian Gulf Islands with family. They also traveled multiple times each summer to Yakutat, Alaska where they were shareholders in a fishing lodge.

She will be remembered at a small family graveside service in July of 2023. She will be laid to rest next to her beloved husband Fred, in Union Cemetery’s Veterans area in Sedro-Woolley.  Share memories of Juanita and sign the online guest register.