Nancy J. Akers
Nancy J. Akers, 74, died on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010, at Alaska Regional
Hospital from a heart attack after a long battle with health problems.
A funeral Mass will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at St. Patrick's Catholic Church
in Muldoon.
She was born Aug. 1, 1935, to Mary and Tomas Franklin in Superior, Wis., the
oldest of five children. She graduated from Grantsburg High School and
attended the University of Wisconsin in Superior. In 1958, upon graduation,
she taught for two years in Chisem, Minn.
In 1960, she ventured north to Alaska to teach, starting at North Star
Elementary School in Anchorage. She also taught at Government Hill, Campbell
and Airport Heights elementary schools. She received her master's degree in
education from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 1978.
She retired from Scenic Park Elementary School in 1987.
Nancy loved to read and tried to instill this into the children she taught.
She bought books and magazines for them to read. If they did, she would give
the reading materials to the children in the hope that they would enjoy
reading and learning for the rest of their lives.
She married Alden Paul Akers on May 25, 1963, in Anchorage. They had two
children, David M. Akers in April 1964 and Dawne M. Akers in June 1976.
Nancy loved to travel. She was on one of the first tours into China. She
toured South America and, upon retiring, she spent a year visiting Australia
and New Zealand.
She is survived by her husband of 46 years, Paul; her son, David and his
wife Jayne; and granddaughters, Brittany and Madison of Wellington (Lower
Hutt) New Zealand; daughter, Dawne of Anchorage; sisters, Verna and her
husband Ken Simpson of Eagle River, Jeanette and her husband Walter Stanford
of Luck, Wis., and Rosemary Kusreau of Princeton, Minn.; and brother, John
Franklin of Fredric, Wis. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews in
Alaska and the Lower 48.
Arrangements are with Janssen's Evergreen
Memorial Chapel.
