Josephine Baldwin

Josephine Baldwin, born May 24, 1954, died peacefully in her home at the age of 62, on November 22, 2016. She is survived by her daughter Lauren, brother Roger, a large extended family, and countless friends and colleagues. She is daughter of Emily and Pershing Baldwin, and sister to her late brother Michael Baldwin. Jo was partners with her late husband Michael Brouner since they were teens. Her sudden and unexpected loss of him to cardiac arrest in 2007 shaped the rest of her life. Josephine lived her entire life (short of her very first year) on the same hill in South Seattle. With a unique personality comprised equally of grit and grace, Josephine was known and appreciated for her honesty and no-nonsense attitude. Josephine studied American Sign Language at Seattle Central Community College, then pursued a career in the United States Postal Service as a member of the National Association of Letter Carriers labor union for 38 years. She was a dedicated breadwinner in an era when fewer women were, yet an active and attentive parent to her and Michael’s only child, Lauren. An animal lover, Jo was especially fond of dogs (many will remember Pup in the 1970s and Milo in the 1990s), and was fascinated by bird watching as she grew older. Jo was a fan of crime TV, movies and novels. She was a talented player of Scrabble, and later, Words With Friends. She wore tasteful jewelry and had fantastic handbags. As a modest expert on classic cars, her most iconic was a white 1965 convertible Ford Mustang. Jo enjoyed greasy Chinese food and stiff cocktails, often White Russians. Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in September 2014, Josephine lived fully for the last two years of her life, believing that she in fact had more time still, but taking every opportunity to travel and enjoy the company of those she loved. Her bravery, especially at the end, was nothing short of inspiring. An open house memorial will take place at her residence on Saturday, November 26th from 1-3 PM, eulogy at 1:30. Donations can be made in her memory to the Seattle Public Library: foundation.spl.org, Planned Parenthood: plannedparenthood.org, or The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center: fredhutch.org.