Nora Nugent Jaeschke

When Nora Jaeschke lost her part-time job at a homeowners association management company in 1971, she started a business so she could help three landscapers who had also been laid off by the company. The enterprise she started from the garage and living room of her Rancho Bernardo home grew to become one of the region's largest private-property-management companies, with more than 200 employees. Ms. Jaeschke, a leader in the industry, also became active in water-conservation efforts and served on the San Diego County Water Authority board of directors from 1997 to 2005. Ms. Jaeschke died Wednesday at her Escondido home. She was 72. The cause of death is pending, her family said. Although she sold her company, N.N. Jaeschke Inc., in 2004, she stayed active and was at a meeting to help formulate a water-conservation program the night before she died. Friends and family members said she was fearless, optimistic and remarkable. County Supervisor Pam Slater-Price served on the water board with Ms. Jaeschke, and the two became friends. They also served on the Red Cross board together. “She always looked on the bright side, no matter what challenges she faced,� Slater-Price said. “Nora always brought the same spirit of high energy, positive attitude. . . . She always wanted to help people.� “Things can get contentious (at Water Authority board meetings), and she always tried to build consensus. She had strong leadership skills but was the most pleasant, engaging person.� Friends said Ms. Jaeschke's professional success was inspirational at a time when few women started and owned their own businesses. “She said it was an uphill battle, (but) she wanted to be an example to her daughters,� Slater-Price said. Elizabeth Jaeschke de Buenrostro said her mother always looked for ways to make things work. Instead of dwelling on problems, Ms. Jaeschke preferred to focus on solutions, her daughter said. “She had a heart for service. Wherever there was a need, she tried to help,� de Buenrostro said. In addition to her work with the Red Cross, Ms. Jaeschke volunteered with the Mentor San Diego program and was on the board of directors for St. Vincent de Paul Villages. She was founding president of Friends of the Water Conservation Garden. Carlsbad Mayor Claude “Bud� Lewis, who also served on the San Diego County Water Authority board of directors, said Ms. Jaeschke understood the importance of water conservation for future generations. “Nora was unsurpassed in her commitment, passion and tireless dedication to water issues,� Lewis said. “She was a real go-getter. She was very energized to help San Diego become the best it could be.� Ms. Jaeschke also enjoyed music and learned to play the ukulele five years ago. Friend and water board colleague Fred Thompson taught her to play, and the two would often strum their ukuleles in parking lots before and after water-related meetings. “Her schedule was so busy that we had to find the time to play in between meetings,� Thompson said. “She was like the Energizer bunny — always going. She was brilliant. She was totally involved with the human race. She had a tremendous sense of humor and was always laughing and enjoying life.� Ms. Jaeschke was born Jan. 13, 1937, in Great Barrington, Mass., and was the oldest of two daughters of Thomas Francis Nugent and Mary Williams Nugent. She loved to swim and was the best swimmer at the local Boys Club, her daughter said. She was invited to the Olympic trials when she was 13 or 14, but her grandmother wouldn't let her go “because it was not very ladylike,� de Buenrostro said. She attended Syracuse University before marrying Charles Jaeschke in 1956. They moved to California for the warm climate and settled in San Diego in 1969. The couple had three daughters. The Jaeschkes divorced after 42 years of marriage in 1998. Ms. Jaeschke is survived by her daughters, Eleanor Jaeschke Hugus of La Jolla, Christina Scott Jaeschke of Escondido and Elizabeth Jaeschke de Buenrostro of San Marcos; a sister, Beth Bartholomew of Sheffield, Mass.; and four grandchildren. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. tomorrow at El Camino Memorial in Sorrento Valley. Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at The Immaculata at the University of San Diego. The family suggests contributions to Friends of the Water Conservation Garden, 12122 Cuyamaca College Drive W., El Cajon, CA 92019; or to St. Vincent de Paul Villages.