BARBARA CASE GAUNTT

GAUNTT, BARBARA CASE July 29, 1921 to June 11, 2012 While fiercely independent in mind, Barbara Gauntt was always engaged first by the heart. A listener, a storyteller, compassionate and informatively opinionated; her laughter and intellect never ceased to illumine the room. A fourth generation Californian, she was born on July 29, 1921 in Taft to Vernon and Henrietta Case, the founders of Case Foundation Company. She attended University High School in Los Angeles, Class of '39, and upon graduation from USC in 1943, where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority, spent three years in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps achieving the rank of First Lieutenant. She and the love of her life, Major Grover C. Gauntt, Jr., were wed in Los Angeles in early 1946, six weeks after he returned from the war in the South Pacific. Grover went to work for Case Foundation in Long Beach where Barbara delivered their sons Grover (III) and Casey. In 1955 the family moved with the company to the Chicago area where their daughter, Laura, was born. After her husband's passing in 1970, Barbara returned to California to be with her parents and close to her children and lived in West Los Angeles, San Louis Obispo and, since 1993, Encinitas. Barbara was a friend's friend, voracious reader, tireless correspondent and enthusiastic conversationalist. She was an avid bridge and poker player and always enjoyed the thoroughbreds. But her true passion was her children and family. A stronger, more devoted, mother there could not be. She knew only one direction-forward. She was a lioness and her family her pride, always and forever. Barbara is survived by her brother and his wife Stanford and Joan Case of Paso Robles; son Grover of New York, grandson John, his wife Kate and great grand-daughter Claire of Fort Lauderdale, and grandson Parker and his wife Danielle of Fort Myers; son Casey and his wife Hilary of Solana Beach, grand-daughter Brittany Kirby, her husband Ryan and great grandson Wyatt of San Diego; daughter Laura Butie, her husband Anton, grandson Leo Butie and granddaughter Claire of Weggis, Switzerland, and step grand-daughters Antonia Mansour and Bianca Butti; and many wonderful nieces and nephews. Her husband and grandson, Jimmy Gauntt, have been waiting, with all love, to help her over. The family wants to extend its gratitude to Belmont Village Cardiff By The Sea and San Diego Hospice for their compassionate and loving care of Barbara. They enriched her life and eased her passage. A celebration of Barbara's life will take place later this Summer. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to San Diego Hospice and Institute For Palliative Medicine, 4311 Third Avenue, San Diego CA 92103.