Jutta Magnussen

COEUR D’ALENE, IDAHO — Jutta was born July 26, 1940, in Kiel, Germany. Jutta’s mother wanted to name her Ruth; however, under Hitler’s regime, biblical first names were not allowed. So she was named Jutta Ruth Gottwald. Jutta spent her first five years growing up in a bunker. Jutta was baptized in the Lutheran Church in Kiel, Germany, on April 22, 1946. When the war was over, they found their house had been bombed. Jutta attended school and two years of college where she learned English.

Jutta watched American movies, saw all the open space and when she was 18, she talked her mother into coming to America. The quota was full, so they were given consent to go to Canada. Jutta found a job with “Continental Can In A Box Factory.” She was paid $12 per hour, which in 1958 was very good wages. Later the family purchased a home in Toronto. When Jutta turned 21 she was offered a job in San Francisco. From there, Jutta and a girl friend moved to Seattle and Jutta was offered a job at the Cascadian Hotel in Wenatchee, Washington. Jutta wanted to learn to ski, which is how she met Hugh Magnussen. They were married April 19, 1968. They both received their Real Estate Licenses in Wenatchee that winter. After a few years Hugh was offered a job in Anchorage, Alaska, where they lived for 20 very happy years. During 1988 and 1989 they toured the lower 48 states in a 36 foot motor home. They settled down in Gig Harbor, Washington, for 15 years. In 1998, they purchased a lake house in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. When they retired in 2005, they moved to Coeur d’Alene, and purchased their home.

Jutta and Hugh have done extensive traveling; they worked hard and played hard. They were pilots, commercial fishermen and sportsmen.

Jutta wanted to take their motor home to Arizona for the winter as they had done over the past 15 years, but God had different plans and called her home early on Jan. 27, 2017.

Jutta’s parents precede her in death along with her son, Bradley. Jutta leaves her husband of 49 years, Hugh, in Coeur d’Alene, a daughter in North Carolina, a granddaughter in Bend, Oregon, a granddaughter and great-granddaughter in Yakima, Washington, a niece in Pasco, Washington, and a niece and two nephews in Arizona. A funeral will be held Thursday, April 20, at 2 p.m. in the Zion Lutheran Church in St. Ignatius.