Jasper Honors Former Clerk-Treasurer Juanita Boehm After Her Death

Jasper is honoring Juanita Boehm not just as a former clerk-treasurer, but as one of the people who helped hold city government together for nearly a generation. Boehm, a lifelong Jasper resident, died April 23 at Serenity Springs Senior Living at Northwood in Jasper. She was 73.

The City of Jasper said Boehm first took office as clerk-treasurer in 1996 and served 24 years before retiring in 2019. During that span, city leaders credited her with meticulous management of Jasper’s finances and a strong commitment to fiscal transparency, two traits that made her a central figure in the city’s day-to-day operations and long-term budget discipline.

Boehm took special pride in the city’s consistently clean audit reports, which she considered one of her most meaningful professional legacies. That reputation followed her through multiple administrations. Former Mayor Dean Vonderheide said her institutional knowledge and steady leadership were especially valuable during his first year in office, underscoring how much Jasper relied on her experience behind the scenes.

Current Clerk-Treasurer Kiersten Knies said Boehm helped shape the foundation of Jasper’s financial strength. City officials described her as more than a public official, and that personal imprint extended beyond City Hall. Boehm was an active volunteer and a member of the Jasper Jaycees, adding to a public life that was rooted in service as much as administration.

The city’s tribute builds on a record of earlier recognition. At her final swearing-in in 2019, Boehm received the Key to Jasper. In February 2020, she was presented the Circle of Corydon Award at Jasper’s State of the City address by State Rep. Shane Lindauer. She also received AIM’s Financial Management Award in 2017, a sign that her work had earned attention well beyond Dubois County.

Boehm’s life in Jasper stretched from start to finish. She was born here on Feb. 9, 1953, to Edward and Dorothy Boehm, and the obituary notes that in the 1960s she was a pioneer in girls’ and women’s sports. That history adds another layer to the city’s loss: a local trailblazer whose influence reached from athletics into public finance.

Mayor Ryan Craig ordered flags in Jasper lowered to half-staff on April 28 and April 29. A moment of silence is scheduled for the Jasper City Council meeting on May 20 at 5:30 p.m., giving city leaders and residents one more formal chance to mark the end of an era that shaped Jasper’s finances, records and civic identity.