Juanita Ganci |
| Posted 2009-12-13 by Sharla |
| The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona February 9, 2003 Juanita Ganci On January 11, 2003, Juanita Ganci passed away peacefully during her own 83rd birthday party. She was surrounded by loving family and friends who bid her farewell as she left this world for the next. Juanita, a true Arizona native, was born in Peoria, AZ in 1920. While living at the corner of 1st Avenue and Filmore St. she watched the building of the Westward Ho Hotel. She was in the first class of students to attend Phoenix College's new campus at 1202 W. Thomas. She went on to graduate from Arizona State Teachers College (now ASU) in 1941. While teaching in Duncan, AZ, she met and married Bill Johnson. During WWII, she was a "Rosie the Riveter" at an aircraft plant in Kansas City. After the war, she taught school and worked at Harold's Club in Reno NV. In 1947, she gave birth to Larry Johnson. In 1950, she and Bill divorced and she returned to Phoenix with Larry where she taught kindergarten at Franklin School. In 1953 she began teaching first grade at Loma Linda Elementary School where, for the next 30 years, she taught thousands of children how to read, write and be productive citizens. In 1957 she married Joe Ganci, a salesman with Procter & Gamble. Their daughter, Joann Ganci was born in 1960. Juanita was widowed in 1991. After retiring from Loma Linda in 1983, Juanita invested countless hours as a volunteer teacher. In 1997 she was named Loma Linda's Volunteer Teacher of the Year. After a two year hiatus to live in California with her daughter, she returned to Arizona to live at Grand Court Retirement Center. She resumed her volunteer teaching at various local grade schools. She continued teaching until six weeks before her death. She is survived by her son, Larry Johnson, her daughter, Joann Couper, her stepsons, Tony and David Ganci, her grandchildren Meagan Johnson, Brendan Couper and Mathew Ganci, a host of family and friends, and her many ex-students who have benefited from her gift of teaching. We will all miss her joyous presence. (Obit: Courtesy of Pat Wilson) |
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