LuAnne Virginia Case

LuAnne Virginia Pobanz was raised by Arthur and Elly Pobanz at a home in Salt Lake City that had been the original pioneer homestead for the neighborhood. Her mother Martha died when she was five years old. Arthur and Martha Rudolph had immigrated to Salt Lake City from Germany as converts to the LDS church. When Martha was dying from cancer she asked her best friend Elly to come to the U.S. and become Arthur's second wife to take care of her children. LuAnne grew-up with her brother Norman, sisters Edith, Nancy and Beverly.

LuAnne first left home for a job's in Yellowstone and Grand Canyon as a maid. She loved telling stories about her two Summers in the two National Parks. The experience fueled her love for the great outdoors. For the rest of her life, her favorite vacations would involve anything having to do with nature, with trips into the canyons around Salt Lake and to other national parks.

When she returned home she didn't have to go far to meet her first husband Dean Baker. He lived across the street from her. Her mother Elly was initially "less than thrilled" with the motorcycle riding young man. LuAnne told the story of a time she was getting on the back of his bike to go on a date when the motorcycle backfired, sparking flames out the back. Her mother ran outside with a bucket of water and poured it on top of the motorcycle, leaving Dean "less than thrilled" about what she'd done to his Harley.
Upon his return from fighting in Korea, Lu and Dean settled down to a life first in an apartment near Memory Grove and later at a home on Truman Avenue in South Salt Lake City where they would raise their son Melvin.

Dean worked hard, with the majority of his work life at A & R Meats where he fought for his fellow worker's right's and helped unionize the shop, following in the foot steps of his parents who had been union organizers in the garment industry. He was well loved and respected in Kimball Ward where he contributed to the life of the LDS church. His health suffered and he spent the last 14 years of his life on Kidney Dialysis, passing away from the disease in 1989.

LuAnne taught Sunday school and worked as a hairdresser in several shops but the majority of her career was spent at Butter's on Broadway where she continued working well into the 21st century.

LuAnne had a second chance for love when she married Phillip Case in November of 1989. Phil and his "Love Love" enjoyed a long and happy marriage, with frequent trips to Nevada as well as adventures in Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, San Francisco and Yosemite National Park. During her life with Phil, LuAnne tried new things. She enjoyed video poker and even did some modeling work as a mature woman model.

Her son Melvin and his life partner Leslie were able to take LuAnne on a series of adventures. She traveled to England where she got to see the place where so many of her favorite TV shows took place. She fell in love with the romantic town of Bath, saw the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London and climbed the battlements of York Castle.

She returned to Yellowstone and shared stories with Mel and Leslie of her time as a young woman in the park. She fell head over heels in love with Yosemite National Park and visited the park every Summer and got to share her love for the place with Phillip and her sister Edith.

LuAnne had a great love for jewelry, specifically rings, with every finger covered with several rings. For her the rings were not about showing off, but about the story of how she got them. The more unique the ring the more joy she got out of sharing the story.  Just as those rings each held a specific memory for LuAnne, we ask her friends, relatives and loved ones to take a moment to remember a good, joyful memory of LuAnne and send those good thoughts to her as her soul begins its next adventure into the eternal.

LuAnne Virginia Case, Baker, Pobanz is survived by her husband Phillip Case who will always remember his "Love Love" and by her son Melvin Dean Baker who was forever blessed to have such a loving, kind and caring mother.