Resolved AZ: Anita Mae "Shoena" Putnam, DOB 2/28/1948, Found 2/25/2012

OkieGranny

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This lady is actually listed in the Unidentified Persons database, UP #10244, rather than Unclaimed.

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/10244

I spoke with Tessa Lee of the Pima County ME's office today, and she was very nice; I thought I might have turned up some new info on this lady, but they had already seen it. She said that they have both an alias name, "Shoena Mae Putnam," and a birth name, Anita Mae Putnam, and a birthdate of 2/28/1948, but they and LE have been unable to locate any relatives to notify, and also to positively verify ID.

What is believed to be known: Ms. Putnam was a 1966 graduate of Waukesha High School, and a 1971 graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh. She then lived in California for 11 years, in Washington state for 14 years, then Sante Fe, NM for five years. She was a registered nurse for 20 years, and was a singer/songwriter.

At the end of her life, she was a transient, and was found dead in the front yard of a home in Tucson.

Any help would be very much appreciated!
 
There's a result also under the spelling Shaena Mae Putnam
http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...aena-putnam-e682322329326&hl=en&gl=au&strip=1

It lists possible relations as Leonard Putnam and Carol Putnam. I'm not sure how reliable and accurate that information is, but could they be her parents?

If so, this is a picture of her mother Carol in a newspaper article about their marriage http://newspaperarchive.com/waukesha-daily-freeman/1946-01-21/page-3 They were engaged in 1946. Which gives them 2 years to then have Anita.

So full name of possible parents: Leonard Allen Putnam, Carol Grace Putnam (Loomis). If alive, they would be 93 and 89 respectively.

Leonard has a brother, Robert Putnam (b approx. 1929) but I don't know if alive or not. Would be about 86.

Leonard's mother was named Cora Mae Putnam, which Anita may have been named after. Unfortunately haven't come across anything that shows siblings.
 
Unfortunately haven't come across anything that shows siblings.

That might be the problem. If she was an only child and her parents are gone, there may be no one left to notify.

Ooh, just found her father on SSDI, says he died in 2005, Pima County. Am not finding her mother. Or her uncle. Still looking...

Found an address and phone number in Green Valley. I wonder if either is still good? Looks like they lived in a condo complex.

And I just found Carol G. Putnam at a different Green Valley address; looks like she downsized after losing her husband. Might be an assisted living-type complex. There's a phone number too!

I'll call Tessa again tomorrow and see if she can use any of this info.

Thanks for the tip!
 
Could this Nevada marriage record be her? If she stayed in WI longer after graduation, then went west, she could have married in Nevada?

Name: Anita Mae Putnam
Gender: Female
Residence State: Wisconsin
Spouse: Ray Welch Hashbarger
Spouse Residence State: Wisconsin
Marriage Date: 4 Jan 1977
Marriage County: Clark
Officiant Type: Religious celebrant
Recorded Date: 18 Jan 1977
Recorded County: Clark
Book: 503
Page: B073838
Instrument number: 872688

Also: surely the University of Wisconsin would help out with former student records at LE request? Perhaps there's a billing address or parent names on her file?

Here's the public record addresses listed, for what they're worth:

Name: Anita Putnam
Birth Date: 28 Feb 1948
Address: 3800 14th Ave SE, Lacey, WA, 98503-2273

Name: Anita Putnam
Birth Date: 28 Feb 1948
Address: 12320 Roosevelt Way NE Apt 1, Seattle, WA, 98125-4846

Name: Anita Putnam
Birth Date: 28 Feb 1948
Address: 3800 14th Ave SE, Olympia, WA, 98503-2273

Shaena Mae Putnam
Phone Number: 595-2369
Address: PO Box 69, Burlington, WA, 98233-0069
[4291 Meridian St # 333, Bellingham, WA, 98226-6482 (1996)]
[6246 Old Guide Rd Apt F, Bellingham, WA, 98226-9640 (1996)]
[2954 Birch Bay Lynden Rd, Custer, WA, 98240-9506]
[3286 Creasy Rd, Custer, WA, 98240-9530 (1993)]
[490 Vinemaple Way, Sedro Woolley, WA, 98284-9540 (1993)]

Name: Shaena A Putnam
Address: 16412 SE 2nd St, Bellevue, WA, 98008-4709
[490 Vinemaple Way, Sedro Woolley, WA, 98284-9540 (1992)]
[100 S LA Venture 31, Mount Vernon, WA, 98273 (1991)]

Name: Shoena Mae Putnam
City: Custer
State: Washington
Zip Code: 98240
Phone Number: 360-366-1056
Residence Years: 1995

Name: Shoena Mae Putnam
City: Ferndale
State: Washington
Zip Code: 98248
Phone Number: 360-384-5334
Residence Years: 1996

Here's one with the same birthdate:
Name: Shoena-Mae Putnam
Birth Date: 28 Feb 1948
Address: 2954 Birch Bay Lynden Rd, Custer, WA, 98240-9506


I also found this, which has a different birthdate, but also matches her as Anita in Olympia:
Name: Anita M Putnam
Birth Date: 15 Sep (no year listed)
Address: 1323 8th Ave SE, Olympia, WA, 98501-1617


For what it's worth, there appear to be OTHER Anita Putnams in WA that are NOT her, unless she was using different birthdates and middle initials:

NAME: Anita L Putnam
BIRTH: 26 Feb 1944
RESIDENCE: 1935-1993 - Spokane, WA

NAME: Anita J Putnam
BIRTH: 27 Oct 1952
RESIDENCE: 1935-1993 - Federal Way, WA

So we should probably try to be careful not to be confusing them.

To add to that point, I believe these are also NOT her:
Wisconsin Divorce Index, 1965-1984
NAME: Kurt Von Gates
SPOUSE: Anita L Putnam
DIVORCE: 29 Nov 1984 - Washington
Ages 25, 25

Wisconsin Divorce Index, 1965-1984
NAME: Robert J Warzynski
SPOUSE: Anita L Putnam
DIVORCE: 27 Jun 1980 - Waukesha
Ages: 25, 21

This Anita L Putnam appears to have been born in 1959 in Wisconsin.

The connection here to Waukesha concerns me: that's either a big coincidence, or LE might have her history confused with this Anita?

I'll keep searching, but wanted to see if anyone could shed some light on the origins of what we think we know?
 
Also just found this:
Name: Shana J Putnam
Birth Date: 14 Jan 1947
Address: 2639 Yew St # B, Bellingham, WA, 98226-3934 (1994)
[1152 38th NE, Seattle, WA, 98125 (1992)]
[11552 38th Ave NE, Seattle, WA, 98125-5706]
[215 11th Ave E, Seattle, WA, 98102-5721 (1994)]
[1556 NW Ballard Way, Seattle, WA, 98107-4756]

And then this:
Name: Shana J. Putnam
SSN: 136-38-5706
Born: 14 Jan 1947
Died: 13 Feb 1998
State (Year) SSN issued: New Jersey (1963)
 
Just now finally clicking through to the links above. Sorry, will remember to do that FIRST next time. (Dur.) I agree that they look like relatives, given the WI ---> AZ of the possible mother and the L. and C. engagement announcement from Waukesha. Found the same 1940 census with brother R.

I found an article listing an Anita Putnam from Waukesha as a member of the Delta Zeta sorority at Wisconsin State, dated Feb 9, 1968 in the Oshkosh Northwestern (newspaper).

Anyway, sorry if I'm muddling; hope the L & C in Pima works out via Tessa!
 
I called Tessa but she's out of the office today. Left a message, and hopefully will be able to speak with her next week. I'm on pins and needles!
 
An article about Leonard and Carol's wedding from The Milwaukee Journal - May 20, 1946
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VgsdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WX4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3047,2239230

I also found an obituary for Leonard. You have to pay for the full article though. But I was able to see a bit extra through google.

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we...page=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM


1.) Leonard Putnam
Waukesha Freeman (WI)
Author: staff
Publish Date: September 2, 2005
Word Count: 210
Document ID: 10CAB707BB6886D0

GREEN VALLEY, ARIZ.

Leonard Putnam

FLAG Leonard Putnam, 85, a resident of Green Valley, Ariz., since 1983, formerly of Waukesha and Sister Bay, passed away at home Satuday, Aug. 27, 2005, after a long illness.

For 34 years he traveled the states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota as a sales representative for Components Co., where he was a senior partner.

During World War II he was stationed in England with the 8th Air Force, flying missions over Germany where

...


He is survived by his wife, Carol; his daughter, Anita of Sante Fe, NM; and brother Robert (Dorothy) of McHenry, Ill. Many thanks to our beautiful hospice nurse,

That's all I can see.
But from the two, we now know the names of two aunts:

Helen Loomis (sister of Carol)
Dorothy Putnam, from McHenry, Ill (wife of Robert)
 
Full names might be Robert Edwin Putnam and Dorothy Ann Putnam (Peterson) per this marriage certificate https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X22F-WZZ

Robert E Putnam died December 10, 2006, with last known residence McHenry, Ill.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VMWN-Z4F
Have not found one for Dorothy.

When searching on Spokeo for Robert Putnam and Dorothy Putnam in McHenry, there is an address that shows up, which also shows up for another Putnam - possibly R & D's child / Anita's cousin - who is listed as being in 50s. I'll PM with the name, although they might be hard to track down as so far only this search engine has been the only one to show the connection.
 
Thank you so much for your help, Love! I'll pass the info along to Tessa when I do get to speak to her.

I keep thinking about this poor mother, God bless her, close to 90 years old and most likely physically frail. At her age, having some form of dementia is so common that I wonder if she's even in a condition to mentally process the fact that her daughter is dead. And I worry about what it might do to her if she is.
 
Was her death ever explained? How does someone who was once a registered nurse end up as a transient dead in a front yard? This is very sad..
 
Was her death ever explained? How does someone who was once a registered nurse end up as a transient dead in a front yard? This is very sad..

Alcohol? Drugs? I don't know, but I agree it is very sad. Left a voice mail a month ago with Ms. Putnam's mother's name, address and phone number, but still haven't heard back from Tessa and the UID profile is still active on NamUs. I hate to be a pest but would like to know if the info was helpful at all.
 

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