Grace Juanita Taetzsch

December 7, 1930 – April 24, 2023

Grace Juanita, known to most friends as Juanita or "Nita," wife of William L. (Bill) Taetzsch for 69 years until his death in 2022.

Juanita was born in Cheswold, Delaware to Morris and Sylvia Sammons. Her family moved to Hunterdon St. in Newark, New Jersey when she was twelve where she attended Bergen Street School. She graduated from South Side High School, Newark in 1948. There she served on the student council and received the Bamberger award for citizenship. Juanita enrolled in Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing (now Bloomfield College) and earned her RN diploma in 1951.

It was at a Valentine's Day dance sponsored by the nursing school that she met Bill Taetzsch who was studying at Newark College of Engineering. It was love at first sight for them both. They were married September 27, 1952, at Clinton Hill Baptist Church, Newark and had their first child, William, one year later. Juanita practiced nursing at Newark Presbyterian Hospital, Erie, PA; Schenectady, NY; and El Paso, TX as Bill's employment with General Electric and the US Army moved the couple to those cities. After the birth of their second child, Michael, Juanita became a full-time homemaker. The family lived in Elizabeth, where Daniel was born, and then Hillside, New Jersey where their daughter, Colleen was born.

Nita later returned to nursing at Elizabeth General Hospital and completed her BS in Health Education at Jersey City State College. She retired in 1979 after working as a school nurse in the Elizabeth and Bedminster, NJ school systems.

She and her husband, Bill, also resided in Basking Ridge, NJ, West Sand Lake, NY, and Carol Stream, IL and enjoyed hosting friends at their summer home on Oquaga Lake, NY.

Juanita had a gift for compassion and would often help those in need by providing in-home nursing care in the neighborhood and inviting those who didn't have family nearby to her holiday dinner table. Juanita had a beautiful soprano voice and was a frequent soloist at weddings and church services. She was grateful to the many teachers, church accompanists, and voice instructors who mentored her in singing. She also served as a Children's Sunday School Teacher in the First Baptist Church, Hillside and Millington Baptist Church, Basking Ridge.

Juanita is predeceased by her husband of 69 years, William Louis Taetzsch, parents, Morris and Sylvia Sammons, and brother, Billy, who died as an infant.

She is survived by her:

Brother: Morris N. Sammons (wife: Joanne, son: Marc)

Son: William (Beverly, deceased), grandchildren: Will (Summer), Camilla; great grandchild Liam (Will and Summer)

Son: Michael (Janet), grandchildren: Calvin (Kylie), Amy Culhane (Brendon), Hannah; great-grandchildren Owen and Myles (Amy and Brendon), and Reese (Calvin and Kylie)

Son: Daniel (Cindra), grandchildren: Emily, Sarah, Alison

Daughter: Colleen, grandchildren: Rebecca, Rachel, Daniel

Juanita's favorite scripture was Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. "(NKJV)

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 am on Monday, May 22, 2023, at the Windsor Park Auditorium in Carol Stream, Illinois. The service will be livestreamed beginning at 10:00 a.m. CST through this link: Memorial Service for Grace Juanita Taetzsch . Relatives & friends are invited to view the livestream of the committal service at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery on Monday, May 22, 2023 beginning at 2:30 p.m. CST through this link: Committal Service for Grace Juanita Taetzsch .

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to Camp Cedarbrook in the Adirondacks, or Wheaton College in Illinois.