Jutta B. Technow

Beloved wife to the late Hans Jurgen. Loving mother to Ralph (Catherine) Technow. Omi to Phillip Technow, Jessica (Jeff) Technow/Torres PhD, Great Grandmother to Jemma and Janey. Sister to Marie Louise and Burkhardt (Ida) Faupel.

Jutta was born in Fritzlar, Germany on June 26, 1930 to Herman Faupel and Gustal Burkhardt/Faupel. She was a war baby and the youngest of 3 siblings. At a young age, she was given the name “Putchen”, which translates to “smallest of the ducklings at the end of a line.” She was taught by Ursuline Nuns and participated in black market to help get basic survival supplies. Her father was a butcher and operated at the hotel where she learned how to cook and she later lived and worked at a restaurant inside Hotel Nagel which was located in the city center and had a view the center fountain. She also was part of the Hitler youth core and learned how to treat sickness and was very skilled at wrapping wounds. Youth were trained to notice irregularities and report her findings directly to the officials in charge. Jutta met her husband in Fritzlar, Germany after he survived 5 years and 5 months in a Russian POW Camp. Jutta applied for immigration to America with her husband and was approved. They endured the long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean then cruised up to the Statue of Liberty and docked there but they arrived during the weekend so Ellis Island was closed so they had to spend another night onboard the ship. The couple became sponsored by Uncle Joe Schreier & Tante Mia (Augusta’s sister). She lived alone in an apartment in Whitestone and worked as an upstairs chamber maid for Dr. Cohen. During her employment, she and Hans got married!

Together, they moved to Richmond Hill into a house on 113th St. where she worked at Kraus Meats in the frankfurter department. While Jutta was working, Tante Mia would watch over Ralph and help him remember details about his name, address, and phone number so in case he got lost on his walk that he could inform someone of his information. When Uncle Joseph died, Tante Mia moved back to Fritzlar to live with her sister on Fraumunster Strasse, above the Butcher Store. Jutta was a stay at home mom and raised Ralph well. She would take Ralph shopping on the avenue and showed him how to choose good meats and fruits and teach him how to check and negotiate prices. These skills that she taught Ralph were attributes he used to ultimately become the Director of Sales for various companies. Omi and Ralph would go to church together and would attend any and all services that were taking place in the church. Jutta would like to watch a variety of shows on television and played 45 records on the Grundig over and over, her favorite being “Yellow Polka dot Bikini.” She would always have meals ready when Ralph would walk home for lunch and was known for creating excellent dinners for family. After some time, Jutta went back to work as a chauffeur for a major Manhattan N.Y.C. Glass supplier where she would circle the block while he was in meetings waiting for him to be done to take him places. She would also work in the same Delicatessen as Ralph where she would be the cook and salad maker, where she would be responsible for making the German potato salad, cole slaw, beet salad, custard, and rice pudding.

One day Jutta came in to the restaurant and saw how slow the current cook was cutting vegetables and she took the knife he was using and quickly ran it against the sharpener and began chopping up everything on the table which she did so well that she ultimately replaced that cook. Outside of her cooking skills, she was a devoted mother. Ralph was in High school and had a math difficulty, Tante Marie-Louise tried to help him while his cousin Monica and Peter were in school but Ralph continued to struggle so Marie-Louise (Godmother) would hug Ralph and would say “everything will be alright, you tried.” Ralph walked back home crying and Jutta would meet Ralph on the corner and would speak in German saying “not to worry, I’ll take care of it.” She paid for a tutor who would come to the house twice a week. This helped Ralph excel in algebra thanks to her hard earned money and her constant incentive to do better.

Jutta’s husband Hans Jurgen died March 21, 1981. Ralph promised to take care of Omi during his passing. She was widowed at 48 years old and went back to work in New York City across from the World Trade Center and took the “A” train to and from Richmond Hill to Downtown. She retired at 65 years old and moved here to Strongsville around the block from where Ralph and family lived. Jutta loved her house and would often walk her dogs, “Schatzi” and “Cuddles” around the pond nearby. Ralph and Jutta would spend time together every day and would watch out for each other as he promised his dad. One morning, Jutta couldn’t walk and eventually became a patient at Altenheim Long Term Care where she enjoyed her new lifestyle and told Ralph everyday while thanking him for taking such good care of her. On March 5th, Jutta’s status began to deteriorate and on March 7th, she exhaled her last breath while Ralph held her tightly in his arms in the presence of Cathy, Phillip, and Jessica.

Jutta/Omi was an extraordinary woman and a staple to her family. She will be forever remembered for her devotion to her family and will be sorely missed.

A visitation for Jutta will be held Thursday, March 21, 2024 from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Craciun Funeral Home, 14925 E Bagley Rd, Middleburg Heights, Ohio 44130. A Funeral Mass will occur Friday, March 22, 2024 at 10:00 AM at St John Neumann Catholic Church, 16271 Pearl Rd, Strongsville, OH 44136. Please meet at church.