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Eve M. Jaenke passed away peacefully in her home on Thursday, March 8, 2007. As was often the case during her life, Eve was surrounded by her loving family, as well as the loving thoughts of many friends with whom she developed relationships during her all too brief tenure here on earth. With Eve's passing, many of us are left with a sweet sense of sorrow in our hearts which, in time, will find the comfort of all the joyful times we were so lucky to share with Eve. As she journeyed through life, Eve imbued us with the courage to share her sense of adventure, humor, and her well-spring of love she so willingly shared with those of us who had the good luck to cross her path. Eve was born on June 3, 1919, in Dresden, Germany, to Dr. Carl Timann - a medical doctor who was one of the early pioneers of the practice of psychiatry - and his lovely wife, Else, nee Martin. After a wonderful childhood, Eve married Dr. Martin George Jaenke in Berlin, in 1940. During the war, they moved to Poland and, later, were forced to flee to Saxony; a region that became the Russian occupied East German Zone until the Berlin Wall crumbled in the early 1980s. During most of the war years, Eve, along with her children, lived with her parents-in-law near Meissen, Germany. Her father-in-law was a Lutheran minister whose untiring efforts to help those in need eventually led to his imprisonment in a concentration camp. After his release from the concentration camp, Pastor Jaenke continued his calling as a minister with Eve at his side, playing the church organ. In 1949, Eve and her husband, Martin, moved to Stuttgart. Then, on June 3, 1953, Eve, Martin, and their three children, immigrated to the United States. As they passed through the gates of Ellis Island, Martin joyously declared to Eve, "For your birthday, I give you your new home in America!" The family's immigration to America during the Cold War was precipitated by the U.S. Government's efforts to recruit Martin, along with numerous other German scientists specializing in rocket and missile propulsion guidance systems, to work on "Project Paper Clip" near Alamogordo, NM. Eve became a US citizen in 1958, in Las Cruces, NM. Continuing the tradition of community service handed down to her from her family, she became involved in many civic organizations. She was the first physical therapist at the Zia Center in Alamogordo, giving massages and water therapy; she was active in the PTA; a volunteer at the Holloman Air Force Base Thrift Shop; a charter member in Our Savior Lutheran Church; president of the Desert Optimist Garden Club; president of the Garden Club Alliance; president of the women's group of the Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce; and a United Way Women's Group chairman. Moreover, Eve helped found the Pan American Round Table ("PART") of Alamogordo in 1965. She was twice elected as the local PART director, as well as elected to serve as New Mexico President and Zone II Director of PART. In 1959, she organized the "Lake Lucero" Chamber of Commerce tours, which are now monthly events. She was a First Aid Instructor for American Red Cross and taught numerous classes for that organization. In addition to the activities listed above, Eve was a German language teacher and tutor. In 1982, she began volunteer work in the Space Hall of Fame in Alamogordo. She also held offices in the Friends of the Library group in Alamogordo and became a Library Board member in 1998. Eve received recognition as a "Alamogordo Woman of Recognition" in 1983, in addition to a plaque for the "Women Hall of Fame." Finally, Eve was the first woman in New Mexico to receive the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) medal for a naturalized citizen citizenship award. Eve was preceded in death by her youngest son, Tim, in 1987, and her husband, Martin, in 2001. She is survived by her daughter, Marlene Mayfield of Las Cruces; son, Rainer Jaenke of La Luz; son, Harald Jaenke and his partner, Brenda Miln of El Paso; and grandson, Billy Marr of Valdez, AK. Memorial Services will be conducted at Our Savior Lutheran Church on Saturday, April 14, 2007, at 11:00 a.m. Our Savior Lutheran Church is located at 1212 Washington in Alamogordo, with the Rev. Bruce Freeman officiating. Eve has been cremated at her request, locally at PCS under the care of Alamogordo Funeral Home Should friends desire to make memorial contributions, they may be made to the American Diabetes Association or to the Alamogordo Hospice (whose staff provided such loving care during her final days), 1859 Indian Wells, Alamogordo, NM 88310. To sign the online register book, please visit www.alamogordofuneralhome.org
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