JUANITA EVELYN GOLTRA HENLEY

Palmer resident Juanita Evelyn Goltra Henley, 79, died at her home May 3, 2004.

Funeral services were held 11:30 a.m. Thursday at Family Christian Center, 203 W. Dogwood Ave. in downtown Palmer. A Celebration of Life ceremony followed at the Palmer VFW.

Mrs. Henley was born Jan. 31, 1925, at Queen of Angels Hospital, Los Angeles, Calif., to Evan and Ethel Goltra. She was married Dec. 30, 1941, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to Lee Henley. Although they divorced in 1970, they remained friendly. She spent her married life in California where she and her husband raised four children. Her love of travel brought her to Alaska in 1973 and she never left. She worked for the Alaska Native Medical Center and later for Universal Services as a cook on an oil rig, from which she retired in 1984.

Her family said, "Nita had a love for life and treasured her family. She enjoyed sewing and playing cards with a group of friends, was an accomplished cook and had a passion for quilting."

She is survived by her children Cheryl Mann and Larry Rabideau of Anchorage, Roger Henley of Newport Beach, Calif., Laura and Ken Patrick of Anaheim, Calif., and Michelle and Bruce Heaton of Glennallen. Her grandchildren in Alaska are Michael Mann and Olivia Lorenzo of Anchorage, Erica and Matt Riser and Larry and Sarah Green, all of Palmer. Her additional grandchildren include Mark and Gwen Patrick, and Brian and Elaine Patrick, all of Anaheim, and Brenna and Billy Hieghes, of Claremont, N.H. She is also survived by multiple great-grandchildren including Steve Henley, Alex and Willie Green, Dalton Riser, William and Timothy Heighes, and Dawn and Lacy Patrick.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Evan Goltra and sister Lucy Brown; and her former husband, Lee Henley, on Jan. 27, 1999.

Family requests memorial donations to the American Cancer Association.

Arrangements were made with Evergreen's Eagle River Funeral Home.