Johanna Brunken was born on January 13th, 1932. She is the daughter a German dad and a Dutch mother. For the last several years, with the help of her daughter, Linda, she has been working on writing her life’s story, her memoir.

The intention of her Heirloom Interview was to add her personhood to the mix, give her grandchildren and future curious generations a sense of what she’s like beyond the written word.

Her interview was a beautiful experience, watching her recall her past, and open up about personal vulnerabilities, all as the Utah sun set behind her and gave off an extraordinary glow.

Among our favorite words from her are,

“I think understanding leads to a good life, because we're not always in this same thing, and sometimes we have different opinions, but you have to respect each other, and I think that's very, very important. I think the cell phones and stuff had kind of taken a toll on us. But I think that mothers still love their children no matter what.”

“What I’m leaving behind . . . I had good children and raised them well, I hope I did, and I tried to be a good example—I don't know that I always was, because I was very shy and backwards most of my life, but that's how I tried. I tried to be a good mother.”