Glessie Altus Trafton was born April 22, 1929, married Robert (Bob) Drake in 1963, and died June 11 after a 17-month battle with cancer. She grew up in Springfield, Colo., and in Pueblo, graduated from Adams State and then from Colorado Medical Technologist School.
The majority of her career, 24 years, was spent at Los Alamos National Laboratories, and it was there that she met Drake. They both were staff members and together retired in 1981. They maintained homes in both Albuquerque and Pagosa Springs until his death in 2007. Glessie lived exclusively in Pagosa after that.
She was an active member of Mountain View Homemakers Club and Sunday school at the United Methodist Church. However, most local people knew her for her beautiful watercolor paintings of animals and birds, and for the many she generously donated to help raise money for area nonprofit organizations.
Glessie Drake is survived by her sisters, Eunice Carpenter, of Pueblo, and Barbara Schaefer, of Florence; a beloved niece, Pat Heitman, of Colorado Springs; and eight other nephews and nieces. Locally, she is survived by her many friends and fans of her paintings.
At her request, there will be no funeral or memorial service, but she has asked that when her friends meet, they should share stories of their fun times together. She also asked that anyone wishing to do so should make a donation in her memory to their favorite local charity.
