Jessie Cluette Durant

1913 - 2015

Jessie Cluette Durant was born on March 22, 1913 at Rush Creek in Mono County.
She spent her childhood residing near one of the oldest lakes in North America, Mono Lake. As a survivor of a proud and ancient civilization attuned to the West, Jessie's roots extend to the early 20th century. Born prior to World War I, she lived through the worldwide influenza epidemic and resided for a time in thatched homes that enabled her people to move seasonally.
Early on, she attended school on horseback and traveled to and from rural communities in a horse-drawn buggy. Jessie attended Carson School in Carson City, Nev. before finishing 8th grade at Lee Vining in 1929. She attended high school in Bakersfield. After high school Jessie attended St. Vincent's School of Nursing in Santa Fe, N.M.. It was during her time in New Mexico that she met her husband Reyes "Ta Nu" Durant. Jessie did private nursing in Santa Fe and also worked on the Navajo Reservation at a hospital for Native Americans. She also worked at a veterans' hospital in Los Angeles before moving to Bishop in 1942 and working at a community hospital.
Jessie was an empathetic person with a caring nature who enjoyed her career as a nurse. For several decades, Jessie Durant has shared her vast fund of information on her culture. She has bridged two cultures, the Mono Lake Natives of California and our modern technologically orientated world of environmental resource extraction. Her contributions to our current state of knowledge about the past of the West have been used by museums, researchers, book writers and film makers.
Jessie was preceded in death by her husband, Reyes Durant; son, Delbert Durant; and grandson, Christopher Charlie.
She is survived by her granddaughter and numerous family members including many nieces and nephews.
A private burial will be held at the Cemetery on Line Street.