Annie Guttenberg

Annie Guttenberg May 29, 1948 ? Feb 8, 2011 Annie was born in Washington DC, to Leonard and Elsie Guttenberg, and raised in Orangevale, California. She graduated from Bella Vista High School in 1967. In Annie?s younger days she liked to go camping with parents and brothers. And believe it or not, she also did some hunting, although she never shot anything. Annie?s parents were the greatest and raised her and her brothers to be strong individuals and those efforts were rewarded later on in Annie?s life. Annie went through a lot of trying times, all on her own, but she prevailed in the end and those trying times proved how strong of an individual she had become. That strength made Annie the wonderful individual we all grew to love and cherish. Annie cared for her mother during a long illness after her father?s death in 1994 and became guardian and caregiver for Mike after her mother?s passing in 1997. Annie spent the last 15 years making a loving and warm home for her disabled brother, Mike. She served on the Board of Directors of Panhandle Special Needs in Sandpoint, Idaho, an organization that provided work for the disabled and was an advocacy for the Rights of the Disabled. Annie was a selfless caregiver to others. She was a registered massage therapist and enjoyed her time helping terminally ill patients find comfort through massage. She worked for Kaiser Permanente for over 20 years until her retirement in 2002. Annie loved Idaho and she and her partner, Jeannie, designed and built a beautiful log home in Sandpoint, Idaho in 2002. She loved to sit on the deck and look at the beautiful view of Lake Pend Oreille, boating on the lake on their pontoon boat and watching it snow. Annie always said there was nothing more beautiful than to watch it snow in Idaho. Annie lived in Idaho until 2008 when she purchased a home in Rodeo, CA using the Idaho home as a vacation home. She also loved Hawaii and she was perhaps the most happy when vacationing on Kauai each year. She loved to sit on Anni Beach soaking up the sun and snorkeling. And we cannot forget the unbelievable cruise to Alaska in 2008. Annie was so happy that all her brothers and their families were able to enjoy such a wonderful journey with her. She loved gardening, cooking and canning her famous plum jam. No one could beat her beloved Kahlua cake. She was always trying new recipes and modifying old ones to spice them up. She learned her cooking skills from her mother and her mother-in-law, Millie. She was an avid animal lover through and through. She had two rescue dogs, San Pablo and Dutch. San Pablo was rescued from the San Pablo Bay and Dutch was rescued from the streets of Rodeo. She will be missed by all of her pets. A proud and loving friend and mother, she will be greatly missed by her children Marianne (Dan) and John (Leann); her grandchildren Karl, Ella and John; her brothers Larry (Paula), John (Sandy), Ralph (Kym) and Mike; her partner in life Jeannie Guttenberg; and many nieces and nephews. There will be no services, but a celebration of Annie?s life will be held at her home in Rodeo, CA on Sunday, Feb 20th starting at 1 PM. Donations in her memory can be made to the American Cancer Society.