In Memoriam - Spring 2025

Justine “JJ” Siena Oesterle ’14 

Environmental Analysis

A former analyst for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab with a passion for protecting the environment and teaching, Justine “JJ” Siena Oesterle passed away in her sleep in January during a trip to Marrakech, Morocco. She was 32. 

Born in Washington, D.C., she grew up in Palo Alto, California; Weston, Massachusetts; and Minneapolis, Minnesota. She attended the Breck School, where she graduated with honors, before attending Pitzer. At Pitzer, she majored in environmental analysis on the environmental science track and minored in Spanish. She studied abroad in Parma, Italy, and she served as a Grove House student caretaker. She cultivated and maintained many of her Pitzer friendship. During her time at the College, Oesterle was involved in the music scene and was an avid member of the Pitzer Outdoor Adventures club, exploring the mountains, deserts, and the beaches of the West Coast, and boogie boarding and hiking. 

From Pitzer, Oesterle went on to work at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she analyzed and validated CO2 data from satellites and helped in the business department. She later returned to Minnesota to get her master’s degree in natural resource science and management at the University of Minnesota, focusing on urban agriculture and aquaponics. While pursuing her master’s, she taught aquaponics in two different school systems and discovered her passion for education. In addition, she had been enrolled at Columbia University in pursuit of a master’s degree in social work. 

Oesterle is survived by her parents, Adrienne and Stephen, and brother Joey, a firefighter in Boston. A celebration of her life was held in February in the Breck School’s Chapel of the Holy Spirit. 

Lynda Obst ’73  

Though she graduated from Pomona College, acclaimed movie producer Lynda Obst ’73 started her undergraduate career at Pitzer College. Obst was one of the most prolific female producers in the film industry. Her hit films include Flashdance, The Fisher King, Sleepless in Seattle, One Fine Day, Contact, Hope Floats, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Born in Manhattan, New York, Obst enrolled at Pitzer in 1969 and volunteered to teach at the men’s prison in nearby Chino. She later transferred to Pomona College, where she completed a degree in philosophy. According to an obituary in the Washington Post, she died last fall of obstructive pulmonary disease. She was 74. 

Juan Ponce 

Last fall, the Pitzer community mourned the loss of Juan Ponce, a longtime member of the College’s dining hall team, after his battle with cancer. Born in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico, he was 59. In a message to the Pitzer community, Associate Vice President of Human Resources Deanna Caballero noted how, “Beyond his professional contributions, he is leaving a lasting impact through his genuine kindness, warmth, and the care he showed to those around him.”