Brigitte Janke

(Age 89)

Brigitte passed peacefully into the arms of Jesus, her Lord and Savior, on May17th, 2025.

She was born on March 29th, 1936, in a German settlement in Marienfeld, Bessarabia (Moldova) to Artur and Adeline Bogner (Weingaertner). Brigitte had a twin sibling who died soon after birth. Her mother also died, of an infection, 3 weeks later. Brigitte was not expected to live but her grandmother, Anna Bogner, refused to give up on her. She prepared a cotton lined shoebox at the back of her cast-iron stove to keep the tiny baby warm. She cared for little Brigitte continuously, carrying her close to her heart for an entire year. Brigitte was later adopted by her aunt and uncle, Irma and Alfred Weingaertner.

During World War II in 1945, Brigitte and her family, along with most of the Eastern European Germans, became refugees. Brigitte’s family was part of a mass emergency migration, fleeing on foot during the winter, hoping to reach Germany ahead of the advancing Soviet army. It did not go well, many people and horses died in the snow. Somehow, Brigitte’s step-mother Irma (a fiercely strong woman) was able to convince the driver of a military munitions truck to allow her family to ride along to Germany. Many were not so fortunate, dying along the way or being overtaken by the Soviets and sent to labor camps in Siberia.

The family eventually settled in the city of Backnang. There her step-father, Alfred, opened a clothing and fabric store that included products from France and Switzerland. Brigitte completed business school in Backnang while working as a purchasing, merchandising, and management apprentice in her father’s store. (She never lost her sense of style!) During that time she met her future husband, Edwin (Ed) Janke, while waiting on him in the store. After dating for only three weeks they became engaged! Brigitte’s step-father wanted her to take over the business, but it was not to be. Ed had previously emigrated to Spokane in 1952 for health reasons, where he worked as a pastry chef. He was only in Germany for a family visit when he met Brigitte. Ed went back to work in Spokane for a year, during which they exchanged daily letters or phone calls. They were married in Backnang in 1959. Their first son, Mark, was born there in 1960. Two more sons, Thomas and David, were later born in America. In January of 1962, the family set sail from Bremerhaven to New York on the S.S. United States. They took the train to Spokane, where they lived the rest of their lives. They had been married for 47 years when Ed passed away in 2006.

Upon arriving in Spokane, Brigitte’s limited English language skills made employment in business management difficult. To help the family, she took a job as a key punch operator for Old National Bank and worked there 16 years, before retiring in 1982. After retiring from the bank, Brigitte started her own business selling Mary Kay cosmetics. She also made use of her skills collaborating with Ed in the family’s side businesses and investments. One of the businesses, Janke Enterprises, developed and marketed innovative products for the baking industry.

Brigitte was a member of First Presbyterian, Fourth Memorial, and most recently, Northview Bible Church. She was a devout Christian whose personal mission and greatest wish was for everyone to accept Jesus as their personal Savior and to follow Him. She loved God and it showed! She was constantly sharing the gospel of Jesus with whoever was interested. When Ed was alive, they did a lot of dancing, golfing, traveling, spending time with friends and family, game nights, boating, fishing, camping, reading, gardening (they both loved flowers), and skiing. Brigitte also enjoyed being active in her church, arts and crafts, shopping, and going to lunch with friends.

Brigitte was proceeded in death by her parents and step-parents, twin sibling, step-brother Bruno, and half-sisters Ingrid and Ulli. She is survived by sons; Mark, Tom, and David, and their wives; Jan, Shelley, and Brenda, and grandchildren; Justin, Madison, Jenna, Autumn, Ben, Allie, and Paul. Memorial contributions may be made to Northview Bible Church, The Salvation Army, The Union Gospel Mission, Second Harvest Food Bank, or Hospice of Spokane Hospice House.

All of Brigitte’s friends are welcome to attend her memorial service on Thursday, June 19th at 11:00 am at Northview Bible Church in Spokane.

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