Thelma Arlene Schrank 1948 - 2023
Thelma Schrank and Bev Goad in front of the Nabesna Ranger Station, 1983 and 2010. Photo courtesy of NPS
Thelma Arlene Schrank was born May 12, 1948, in San Antonio, TX, the first of three children born to Arlon and Vera Fay Schrank. Thelma was raised in the farming community of Atascosa, Texas, and graduated from Southwest High School in 1966. Thelma passed from this world at Vida, Missouri, in the early morning of February 10, 2023, while holding the hands of her sister Cleo Kline & cousin Gennie Ellis.
In 1972, Thelma and her family traveled to Alaska to spend six months. 50 years later, she was still the busy-body (said/meant lovingly) of the Slana community. She left Alaska December 25, 2021, to spend the winter with Cleo so they could travel together, again. Sadly, Thelma was diagnosed with oral cancer shortly after her arrival in Missouri. She endured surgery, radiation, chemo, experimental drugs & excellent hospice care before her passing.
Thelma had a varied work history starting with insurance in Texas. She then operated & managed the Ellis family roadhouse, Duffy’s, in Slana. She took aviation observations for NOAA for many years. In 1983 she went to work at the National Park Service ranger station at Slana, the northernmost portion of the newly established Wrangell-St Elias National Park. Thelma retired from the NPS in 2019.
In October 2022, Thelma received the Harry Yount Lifetime Achievement Award from the NPS Rangers Association for all her help to new rangers & the Park Service. Thelma was hospitalized and unable to receive her accolades in person at their annual meeting. However, her award trophy was recently delivered to her at Vida. She was honored to receive the award and happy to have lived to see HER trophy.
She is survived by her sister Cleo Kline of Alaska & Missouri, and numerous family and friends all over the world. She was preceded in death by her father Arlon, mother Fay, half-brother Ronnie, brother Bill and special companion Bill Ellis.
A gathering for family & friends will be held this summer on June 24th, 2023 at 3:00p.m. at Thelma's in Slana, Alaska. BYOB.
Additional tributes and photos can be found at https://www.rollacremation.com/obituaries/thelma-schrank
Note: The original version of this obituary contained an error stating that Mt. Olive Baptist Church is in Montana. It has been edited to the correct state: Missouri.
CRR Article from October 2022: