Jolene Karan Pettit

Jolene Karan Pettit was born on January 23rd, 1946, in Olympia, WA. Jo (as she was known to her friends and family) passed away peacefully, surrounded by three of the people who loved her most (her daughter Tina, sister Mickey and best friend Carlene Pohl) on June 25, 2023, at Mother Joseph’s Care Center from kidney failure.

Jolene grew up in Rainier, WA the oldest child of her parents Alfred (Fred) Wendler and Dorothy Kell Wendler. She was the consummate oldest sibling taking on the role of caretaker, peacekeeper and keeping her sister Mickey out of trouble (at which she failed…. often). She was the captain of the drill team where she was given a whistle to blow and learned to boss so well that her husband would later give her the affectionate nickname, “Sarge.”

After graduating from Rainier High School in 1964, Jolene attended Centralia Community College where she earned a few credits before working for the state. When she was 28, she began dating Glenn Pettit for the second time (a brief couple of dates almost a decade before had not sealed the deal) and after only 6 months they were wed on July 12th, 1974.

They built a house in a curious location where they would have the last Rainier phone number and the first Yelm address in their neighborhood. This is where they would make their life and raise their family and where Jolene would live for the next 49 years. Jolene left her employment with the state to focus on the house and family while Glenn worked for Weyerhaeuser until he retired in 2001. They had their only child together, a daughter in 1982 after 7 years of trying.

Jolene loved organization, she had files and folders on everything, and notes taped to the wall that she called her “paper brains.” She loved to plan parties and make lists. It was very normal to come home from school or work to find that the family room furniture had been completely rearranged with no warning. If you needed something done, putting her in charge would ensure it was completed and done correctly. No matter what time you said you were leaving to go somewhere and how much extra time you were allotting yourself, she would always say you should leave 15 minutes earlier, “just to be safe.”

She was also an absolute delight. She described herself as shy and reserved in her youth, but after she was married, she found her voice and confidence. She was bubbly, happy and full of questions about what was new in people’s lives. She delighted in people’s triumphs, but also loved a bit of gossip if she could get it. She was a wonderful cook and even when she was no longer hosting Thanksgiving dinner, she was still given the job of arranging it, a role she took to with great enthusiasm.

She and Glenn loved to travel, and she continued to do so for many years after his passing in 2006 with her daughter. Her favorite trips included a tour of Europe and a trip to Washington DC along with many road trips across the country. There are not many landmarks or National Parks west of the Mississippi River that she didn’t visit. She took on needlework in her later years, hand embroidering numerous table scarves and pillowcases.

Jolene is survived by her daughter Tina Pettit, her sisters Maxine (Mickey) McVay and Gail Whalen, her brother Dennis Wendler and his wife Gloria, numerous nieces and nephews (and their children, all of whom she adored), and many friends. She was predeceased by her husband Glenn, her parents Fred and Dorothy Wendler and her brothers-in-law Jimmie Whalen and Dennis McVay. She will be greatly missed by all.

Services will be held on Saturday July 15th, 2023, at 11am at Mills and Mills Funeral Home & Memorial Park (5725 Littlerock Rd SW, Tumwater, WA 98512) followed by an informal burial service at 2pm at Yelm Cemetery (11540 Cemetery Rd SE, Yelm, WA 98597). Remembrances may be made in the form desired by friends and family.