Kris Kaiser
The times Jetta knew and lived were so very different than our own. She remembered clearly living in Britain through WWII with the black outs, the rationing and rebuilding. Growing up in a fishing village she lived amongst people with a zest for life. Her mother was a pillar of the local community due to her nursing skills and common sense and helped the local families while the fathers were out to sea. Seeing this probably helped form the giving and loving nature which was at Jetta’s core.She attended elementary school at the Episcopal Church as the Methodist Church where her parents attended did not have a school. This deepened her faith and gave her the ability to accept others with different points of view. At a time when her girlfriends were marrying or going off to work in the factory, Jetta’s mother steered her toward nursing. She thrived under the watchful eye of the sisters and later when “Call the Midwife” became a BBC hit, she assured me that it was very near to the reality she had lived.Jetta was fun loving and adventurous. With Joe in the British Royal Navy as an engineer going out to sea for months at a time, she saw no need to always stay close to home. With some friends, a plan was developed to travel around the world nursing. Jetta was told she would be an hour away from San Fransisco and that sounded lovely. Imagine her surprise when it turned out she had been imagining as hour’s WALK to San Fransisco! Nevertheless, she bought a car, enjoyed the Bay Area, and reconnected with her Aunt Bell who lived in the Los Angeles area.I could go on but I think you get the picture of the Jetta I knew – vibrant and lively. Of course time changes everything but that twinkle in her eye and a zest for life remained with her. She had so many health challenges in her last 2 years but she managed to take one day at a time. I am very grateful to Daniel and Julie for always being there, and also want to give a big thank you to Lisa for the care and friendship you gave her over this last year and a half. Jetta’s life was well lived and she is at peace.