Longtime resident of Anchorage, Alaska, Jane E. Sutton, died peacefully July 5, 2008, at Mary Conrad Center in Anchorage.

A celebration of life, "Jane's Last Roundup," will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, July 25, at Mary Conrad Center, 9100 Centennial Drive.

Jane was born Sept. 21, 1927, in Eugene, Ore., to William Dale Kinder and Ida Lenora Kinder. After moving around the Pacific Northwest, Jane went on to graduate from Roosevelt High School in Seattle.

She continued her education at Washington State University and graduated with a degree in animal science in 1949.

She married Robert H. Sutton in Kalispell in January of 1951 and lived on a ranch at Marion. After they left the ranch she and Robert moved a number of times around the state.

In 1956, they left Montana to move to Washington state. Jane went to work at Washington State University in the animal science areas doing interesting research studies on cattle feeds for feedlots. She moved to veterinary science and assisted vet students with their studies.

When Robert passed away in 1972 she decided to continue her education and went to nurses training at St. Patrick's School of Nursing located in Missoula, and graduated in 1976 as a registered nurse. She headed to Alaska and worked at Providence Hospital in Anchorage. After a stint there she went to work at the old Valley Hospital in Palmer, Alaska, in the emergency room and worked there for many years.

This is when her love of sled dogs fully erupted. At one time she had a kennel of 50 or so dogs and trained to run the Iditarod. She had a major injury while driving her dogs and had to scratch the race and a part of her dreams. She then raised wolf hybrid crosses which became the love of her life.

She moved to Anchorage in 1986 and lived at Robert Rude. She continued her love of people, ceramics and Robert's Rules of Order in her work with the tenant council and being involved as president of Mabel T. Caverly's board of directors.

Jane was a very independent woman who did things her way!

Jane is survived by her daughter, Dale, and husband, John Reed, of Wasilla, Alaska; son, Robert W. Sutton, of Kalispell; sister, Joe Ann, and husband, Loyd Foster, of Kalispell; granddaughter, Brandy Cipriani, of Phoenix; and numerous nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to Mabel T. Caverly Senior Center, 325 East Third Ave., Anchorage, AK 99501.

Condolences may be sent to P.O. Box 298667, Wasilla, AK 99629.