Juanita Ahrens, 87, of Spokane, Washington and formerly of Grinnell, died on Thursday, December 14, 2017, at the Aspen Quality Care Center in Spokane. A funeral service will be held 10:30 a.m., Friday, December 22, 2017, at the Trinity Lutheran Church near Malcom with Rev. Catherine Burroughs, pastor of the church, officiating. Organist will be Teresa Ziegenmeyer. Interment will be at the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery. The family will be present at the church one hour prior to the service. Friends may call at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Should friends desire, memorials may be directed to the Trinity Lutheran Church and sent in care of the Smith Funeral Home, P.O. Box 368, Grinnell, Iowa 50112. Juanita was born on March 21, 1930 in Kellogg, Iowa to Andrew and Maude Milligan Anderson. She was raised in Kellogg and graduated from Kellogg High School. She also graduated from William Penn College in Oskaloosa and completed graduate work for her teaching degree at Drake University and the University of Iowa. Following her education, she taught elementary school in Laurel, Iowa. On December 22, 1950, she was united in marriage to Paul Ahrens at the Trinity Lutheran Church near Malcom and to this union was born two children, Michael and Barbara. The couple made their home in Grinnell, where she was an elementary teacher in the Grinnell-Newburg School District for 34 years. Juanita was a long time member of the Trinity Lutheran Church and served in the women's society of the church. She was also a member of the Iowa Retired School Personnel Association and served as secretary for that organization. She enjoyed collecting dolls, coins, candlewick dishes, special cups and saucers. She organized Anderson and Milligan reunions with many pictures to be enjoyed by all until she moved to Spokane in 2011. Survivors include her daughter, Barbara (Dennis) Bunkers of Spokane; and four grandchildren, Justin (Jerri) Ahrens of Eudora, Kansas, Andrea (Andy) Franklin of St. Louis, Missouri, Kimberly (Keith) Brewer of Spokane and Kelly (Nick) Bowman of Seattle, Washington; eight great grandchildren, Matthew, Aimee, Blake, Zachary, Miles, Warren, Evelyn and Eliza; and one sister, June (Paul) Gregory of Altoona, Iowa. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband in 2012; her son in 2005; two sisters, Elva Hulse and Wanda Parsons; and three brothers, Vernon "Cap" Anderson, Carrol "Shorty" Anderson and Wayne "Chick" Anderson.