Gwendolyn Frances "Fran" Norton, 93, died at home in Anchorage, Alaska November 16, 2013.

Fran was born on April 10, 1920 in Fresno, Calif. to Don Dean Dawson and Cora Beatrice Howton. They were divorced when Fran was very young. Her mother later married Edward Nee. She lived much of her childhood in the mountains east of Los Angeles.

She graduated from high school in Brea, Calif. in 1936 and Fullerton Junior College in 1939. She attended Knapp School of Nursing in Santa Barbara, Calif. graduating in 1943.

She married Tedd Thompson in 1944.

She worked as an RN in the San Francisco and LA areas for several years, until she decided she wanted a change so she drove from LA to Anchorage in 1956.

She moved to Petersburg, where she lived until 1969. It was here she met Emmet "Norty" Norton. She was a bookkeeper and cook for his logging company. When they were married in 1964, she gained two stepsons, Robert and Rex Norton.

Norty sold the logging company in 1969, moved to Anchorage and they bought the Party House bar, which they ran until 1976.

Fran worked as an RN with the Anchorage Senior Center, retiring in 1989.

She was preceded in death by Norty in 2006.

She is survived by brother and sister in law Don and Anna Marie Nee, son Paul Thompson, daughter in law Mary Zacharias, stepson Robert Norton, daughter in law Bea Hicks, stepson Rex Norton, daughter in law Carol Norton, and five grandchildren.