Mary Joanne Ertmann

1932 - 2021

Mary Joanne (Kunches) Ertmann, 89, of Beaverton, Oregon, passed away peacefully at her home on July 14, 2021, after a short illness and surrounded by her family.

Mary Jo, as she was affectionately known throughout her life, was born on January 24, 1932 in Aurora, Illinois, the second of two children to the late Charles and Lillian (Hoben) Kunches. She was raised in the small Chicago suburb of Batavia, studied at Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa, then relocated to Chicago to launch a career at WBBM-TV as a senior producer.

Her work led Life magazine to commission a story about her career in the mid 1950s.

While at WBBM-TV, Mary Jo met and, in 1956, married the late John Ertmann. Initially settling in Chicago they then moved to the suburb of Park Ridge in 1963. Upon relocating to Oceanside, New York in 1967, Mary Jo worked as a traffic coordinator for WHLI radio in Hempstead, New York. After her children were grown, Mary Jo moved first to Columbus, Ohio and then, in 1997, to Beaverton, Oregon, which was her home for the last 24 years of her life.

Mary Jo was preceded in death by her parents Charles and Lillian Kunches, her brother Joseph Kunches and his wife, Helen, her former husband John Ertmann, and her son Peter Ertmann. She is survived by her sons John (J.C.) Ertmann and his wife Dori Klemanski; her son Thomas Ertmann and his wife Doretta; her daughter Catherine (Kate) Ertmann and her husband Brian Johnson; grandchildren Ryan, Jennifer and Ian; and a host of nieces and nephews.

?She will be buried next to her son Peter at River View Cemetery in Portland, Oregon. A small memorial gathering will be held on Saturday, July 24, 2021 at the foot of Mt. Tabor; for more information, contact the family directly. In lieu of flowers or gifts, please make a donation in her honor to her favorite classical radio station, KQAC.