Junett Alvina Carlton Obituary (1918 - 2021)

Junett Alvina Carlton passed away on Saturday, March 20, 2021 from natural causes. She was 102 years old. Born to Charles and Serena Carlton of Tacoma, Washington on June 4, 1918, Junett was the youngest of six children. Except for the last two years, Junett lived her entire life within a ten-mile radius of where she was born in their family home on McKinley Avenue. She never married, instead dedicating her life to caring for her family. Her older brother, Bert, employed Junett to care for their aging parents, particularly their mother who was not able to walk. She tended to the animals on their farm, milking the cow Daisy, and feeding the chickens. Every summer and fall she helped split wood to keep them warm in the winter. Junett loved to garden and cook. She prided herself in the meals she prepared, often cutting out new recipes from the daily newspaper. During the late 1930s and 1940s, she was a governess to the Gardner Family. Junett cared for their son Booth from infancy to the age of eleven and she was delighted when he later became Governor of the State of Washington. The calling to help family was strong, and when Bert asked Junett to care for their sister Margaret, who was twelve years her senior, she said yes. Junett became a companion for Margaret who was wheelchair bound and whose husband had died. She was a devoted Christian, attending the Swedish Mission Church that was later renamed Tacoma First Covenant Church. Every day she sat in her kitchen listening to her favorite radio stations "Leading the Way" and "Through the Bible Ministries". Junett was also a minimalist. Many items in her apartment were inherited from family members as each passed away. They were her treasures. At the end of her life, Junett had only four blouses, four pairs of pants, and one pair of shoes resting in her closet. Despite having no real income, she gave what financial support she could to the radio stations she loved as well as the Tacoma Rescue Mission. Her parents, and her older siblings Charles William Carlton, Margaret Serena Kazda, Earl Carlton, Bert Holger Carlton, and Elis Goodwin Carlton, all preceded her in death. She is survived by her nephews Earl Carlton Jr., Douglas Carlton, and Gary Carlton; as well as her longtime friend Janise Disbrow. Junett will be buried at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at New Tacoma Cemetery (located at 9212 Chambers Creek Rd W, University Place, WA 98467). Remembrances, in lieu of flowers, can be made to Tacoma Rescue Mission to honor Junett's passion of helping those in need.