GARTNER, Renate, 77, Linneus, Dec. 13, 2016. Services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thurs., Dec. 22 at the Bowers Funeral Home in Houlton. Arrangements by Bowers Funeral Home, Houlton.
LINNEUS — Renate Gartner, 77, passed into eternal life at her home in Linneus under a full moon on December 13th. The daughter of Willi and Anna (Heyden) Gnekow, Renate was born July 13, 1939 in Berlin, Germany. But when World War II encroached, Renate and her family moved safely north in 1943 to Grimmen near the Baltic Sea where her parents were originally from. World War II brought many hardships to Renate and her family including the loss of her father at age 6. The struggles she and her family faced during her childhood shaped her into the strong, independent and resilient character that served her well as an adult.
Renate attended school in Grimmen studying to become a nurse in Soviet-occupied Germany until 1957, when at the tender age of 18 she left her family home and escaped to West Berlin. After a brief time as a refugee in West Berlin, Renate relocated to an American Red Cross Hospital in Frankfurt where she pursued the nursing profession. In 1960, in hopes of learning English, she moved to London to work at St. Albans City Hospital, another Red Cross facility. Shortly after returning to Frankfurt in 1961, she accepted a position as a nanny in Port Chester, NY which brought her to the United States. It was in Port Chester at a “German Club” where she met her future husband, Ottmar. They married in 1963.
In 1964, Renate and Ottmar moved to Bethel, CT where they raised their family. As a homemaker, Renate was never idle. She completed her nursing certification in CT while her three children were quite young. Nursing afforded her the opportunity for flexible work as she continued gaining experience in her profession including work at Danbury Hospital, private duty nursing and Fairfield Hills in Newtown, CT.
Renate had a love for sewing throughout her life which initially began out of necessity to alter clothes to accommodate her tall and thin stature. She soon became an expert and her sewing creations included matching outfits for her children, home accessories, bridal dresses, christening gowns, clothes for her grandchildren, handbags, dolls and so much more. This love was the backbone of her foray into the world of entrepreneurship when, from 1978-1986, she owned ‘The Cuttingboard’, a fabric and notions store in downtown Bethel, CT.
After her children graduated from school, Renate pursued her penchant for travel by becoming a traveling nurse in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. Her assignments took her south to Arkansas, Kentucky, and Louisiana. She then settled in Ashfield, MA where she worked at the Farren Care Center before retiring to Rimrock, AZ in 2004. In 2011, she returned to the east coast and settled in Linneus, ME to be closer to family.
Renate was an intrepid and adventurous traveler. One of her greatest joys was to travel by car back east from Arizona taking a different routes each of the seven (!) times she did so. After the reunification of Germany in 1990, Renate was able to travel extensively with her sister Barbara as well which made up for the many years that they could not be together during the Cold War era. In addition to her sister visiting the U.S. five times, they also traveled throughout Germany together, and took trips to Hawaii and Scandinavia. Renate also had a life-long love of the ocean and sailing, gardening and hiking.
Renate will be remembered as a lively, bold, strong, tireless, vivacious, robust and courageous women whose catchphrase, “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere,” and her love of line-dancing always brought a smile to family and friends. She will be dearly missed by all who loved and admired her.
Renate is survived by her three children: Andrea Gartner of Danbury, CT; Willi Gartner of Danbury, CT; and Doris Gartner Scott of Linneus, ME; seven grandchildren: George Jabara; Taylor, Rachel, and Rebecca Gartner; Dan Janus and Donnie and Amelia Scott; a sister, Barbara Ganz, of Grimmen and many nieces and nephews in Germany. She was pre-deceased by her parents, stepfather Paul Heuer, sister, Vera, all of Grimmen; and her husband, Ottmar Gartner.
Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. on Thursday, December 22 at Bowers Funeral Home, 10 Water Street, Houlton, ME with Darryl Hanning officiating. A luncheon will follow at Renate’s home in Linneus. Additionally, a Trisagion Service will be held on Sunday, January 22, 2017 after Liturgy at St. George Church, 125 Kohanza Street, Danbury, CT with a Celebration of Life following in the church hall. Donations in memory of Renate can be made to the Veterans of Foreign Wars at www.vfw.org For an online memory book and to leave condolences please visit www.bowersfuneral.com.
