Last week, we reported that a well-loved community member, Ann Baerwald, 60, died peacefully after a long bout with cancer on Monday, Oct. 26, 1998. She died at Hemet Valley Medical Center.
Miss Baerwald was born in England on March 21, 1938. She was raised in Cleveland. She attended Swarthmore College as an undergraduate and received her masters degree as a social work administrator from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
She met her lifelong friend, Pam Fitchett, when they worked together at National Jewish Hospital in Denver. The two came to California in 1964.
Miss Baerwald served as an administrator for the Regional Centers for the Developmentally Disabled in Los Angeles before retiring. She continued consulting in the business. She moved to Idyllwild in September 1995, working full-time at Tahquitz Travel, which is co-owned by the Fitchetts.
Mrs. Fitchett told the Town Crier, ‘Ann didn’t really find a home until she moved to Idyllwild. She became a part of and committed to this community.’
Miss Baerwald was a member of the Idyllwild Soroptimist Club and Mountain Community Patrol. She also was a board member of the Idyllwild Community Fund and an Associate of Idyllwild Arts Foundation.
Miss Baerwald leaves no survivors. She was to be cremated and asked that there be no funeral or memorial services. A gathering is planned for all of her friends at the Fitchett home, 43839 Mandarin, Hemet. The event is at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15. For directions, call Mrs. Fitchett at (909) 927-1375.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to any of the organizations listed above.