Alaska School Yearbooks by County
May Cleary Ramsay Wright
Former Juneau resident May Cleary Ramsay Wright died Aug. 23, 2002, in Lynnwood, Wash.
She was born May 11, 1907, to James and Jean Ramsay at a mining camp north of Fairbanks. The family moved to Treadwell when May was still an infant, and to Juneau in 1921. In 1926, she married Ralph Wright, and the couple moved to Haines in 1927. The Wright family lived in Haines and Ketchikan before returning to Juneau. In Juneau, Wright was active in Eastern Star, Pioneers of Alaska and the Northern Light Presbyterian Church. She was employed by the territorial (later state) Department of Revenue from 1947 until she retired in 1967. She and her husband then moved to Edmonds, Wash., to be nearer their son and grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her son James, in 1947, and her husband Ralph, in 1985.
She is survived by her son Elwin; granddaughter Gwelda Bowman and her husband Edward; grandson Gary Wright and his wife Teresa; great grandchildren Spencer and Ella Bowman and Matthew and Christopher Wright.
Private graveside family services will be held at Floral Hills, Lynnwood, Wash. Memorials may be made to charities of the donor's choice.
Lorraine Patterson
Juneau resident Lorraine (Johnnie) Patterson died Sept. 5, 2002, in Juneau.
She was born on Feb. 20, 1942, in Hoonah. She was a member of the T'ak Dein Taan Clan (Sea Pigeon), Sockeye House, Raven Tribe of the Tlingit Nation. Her Tlingit name was Dux-k-xic-kla.
She was preceded in death by her husband Ralph B. Gillis, husband Joseph W. Patterson, and parents and grandparents.
She is survived by her uncles Amos Wallace and John Martin Sr.; aunts Elizabeth Sumdum and Jessie Johnnie; children Patricia Walker, Charles Johnnie, Sarah Gillis, Cassandra Gillis and Inez Patterson; sisters Christine Soriano, Ernestine Grimm, and Anna Faye Jewell; brother Walter Jewell; grandchildren Sherrie Raber, Ryan Walker, Wayne Johnnie, Justin Benboe, Jeremy Hall and Steven Woodbury; and many nephews, nieces and cousins.
A viewing service will be held from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at Alaskan Memorial Park & Mortuary. A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9, at the ANB Hall in Hoonah. A funeral service will be held in Hoonah on Sept. 10, at a time to be announced.
Dollie Ilene Jewell
Juneau resident Dollie Ilene Jewell died Sept. 3, 2002, in Juneau.
She was born Sept. 22, 1934, in Elgin, Ore. She married Jack Jewell in 1952, and they raised five daughters. They recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in Juneau. She spent most of her life in Eastern Oregon. In 1987 she moved to Juneau with her husband. In 1999, she retired from GCI, where she was the business manager. She was surrounded by her family and friends at the time of her death.
Her family said she loved spending time with her family and friends, especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She loved to travel and looked forward to new adventures, the family said. She was an active member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Fraternal Order of Eagles in La Grande, Ore., and Juneau.
She is survived by her husband, Jack Jewell; daughters Carol Graham, Elizabeth (Jeff) Landvatter and Laurel Carlton, all of Juneau; Barbara (Larry) Druesedow of Nikiski and Leslie (Jim) Frey of Eagle River; 13 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
A celebration of life will be held from 6-8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8, at Glacier Gardens Rainforest Tours, 7600 Glacier Highway.
Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Art Erhman Cancer Fund, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Aerie No. 4200, 2055 Jordan Avenue, Juneau, AK 99801.
Glen Scott Kramer
Juneau resident Glen Scott Kramer died Aug. 29, 2002, in Juneau.
He was born April 27, 1959, in Queens, N.Y. He served in the U.S. Army in 1979 and 1980, and was honorably discharged. He moved to Juneau in December of 1987 and owned and operated the Alaska Trader, a free newspaper, in 1988 and 1989. He worked as a mobile DJ around Southeast Alaska and later as a DJ at the Penthouse from 1989 to 1999. In early 1999 he went to work for Capital Transit.
He was a volunteer firefighter, a member of the Anchorage Harley-Davidson club, and participated in the All Alaska Bus Rodeo while working for Capital Transit.
He is survived by his wife Dolly Kramer; children Jonathan Edwards, Katrina Edwards, Lawrence Edwards, and Scott Kramer, all of Juneau; mother Thelma Kramer; brother Martin Kramer; sister Donna Kramer; and two nephews, all from Los Angeles.
Pallbearers include Jonathan Edwards, Moses Smith, Millee Hoyle, John Dolloff, Ted Wieting, Gary Dowd, Matt Smith and Dirk Cooper. Honorary Pallbearers include John May, Al Bus, Larry Riley, Lawrence Edwards, George Mayeda Sr., Jim Jackson, Mike Race and Dennis Martin.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, at the Chapel by the Lake. A burial service will follow Friday, Sept. 6, at 2 p.m. at Alaska Memorial Cemetery on Riverside Drive in Juneau.
Howard 'Howie' Kenneth Croken
Former Juneau resident Howard "Howie" Kenneth Croken, 90, died Feb. 18, 2002 in Bellevue, Wash.
He was born June 14, 1911, in Seattle, Wash. He graduated from Franklin High School in Seattle in 1929 and from the University of Washington in 1957. He married Loretta Lynch Croken on Nov. 30, 1937, in Juneau. He served as a first lieutenant in the Army in Alaska, Japan, Germany and Louisiana from 1928 to 1953 and received medals for his service in World War II. He later worked in the Health Department from 1957 until he retired as a health inspector in 1976.
He enjoyed golf, hiking, fishing, bowling and trips with his many friends.
According to his family he was a kind and gentle person. He also enjoyed reminiscing about being the last person to swap stories with Will Rogers and Wiley Post as they stayed the night at his radio communications post on the Aleutian Islands just before their deaths in a plane crash.
His wife died in May 1982.
He is survived by his daughter Beverly A. Relf of Bellevue, Wash; sister Vivian Renshaw of Juneau; brother Robert E. Croken of Mukilteo, Wash; three grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.
A family service with military honors was held at Mount Tahoma National Cemetery following his death.
