Obituary: Adair (Treischel) Unwin 1923 - 2012

Adair (Treischel) Unwin died on June 24, 2012, at age 89.  She was born in Alberta Minnesota and lived there until entering nursing school in South Dakota.  She graduated at the top of her class in 1944 and promptly enlisted in the Army. 

She served in the General Hospital of the European Theater as a First Lieutenant, with postings in England, France, and Germany. 

After the war she accepted a position as an Industrial Nurse for the Anaconda Copper Co. in northern Chile.  There she met and married the love of her life, Richard Unwin.  They immigrated to the USA in 1947. 

In 1953 Dick began a series of overseas assignments with Honeywell that took the family to Puerto Rico and then on to Brazil.  Adair was adept at establishing a home environment for her family under often challenging circumstances. 

She learned local languages and customs, and did her best to make her family feel at home wherever Dick’s work took them.  Her nursing skills were of great benefit and shared freely in every community in which they made a home.  She earned Master’s Degree in Psychiatric Nursing in 1966.  Her professional life included school nursing and public health.

Throughout her life Adair was an active member of church life including teaching adult and children’s Bible study classes.  At the end of her life she was a member of Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church in Cottonwood, AZ.  She also enjoyed dancing, playing bridge, and walking – taking note of every bird in the vicinity.

She is survived by her three daughters Virginia Claudepierre (Traverse City, MI), Teresa Unwin (Rimrock, AZ), and Alicia O’Neill (Clarkdale, AZ), and her sister Dorothy Schermeister of Minneapolis, MN.  She was preceded in death by her husband Richard, son Ricardo, and brothers Grant and Robert.

A memorial service for Mr. Unwin will be Thursday, June 28, 10 a.m., at Cottonwood Village.

Memorial contributions may be made to the building fund at Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church, 330 Scenic Drive, Clarkdale, AZ 86324

Information provided by survivors.


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