She was educated at the University of Oregon as an interior designer, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1941.
Following her graduation, she worked at the Bonneville Power Administration and then for Standard Oil in San Francisco as a drafter, after which she returned to Oregon to work for Pietro Belluschi's office in Portland.
[2] Wintermute left Belluschi's office upon her marriage in 1947, and continued to work on residential projects from her home while raising her two children.
Over the next 15 years she held a variety of positions including architect-in-residence for the Washington County Education Service District, architect-in-residence for the Department of Defense Schools in Asia, and coordinator for the Oregon Arts Commission.
[2] She was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.