Gloria Sears

1945 - 2015

Gloria Beth Sears (nee Buege) passed away on Feb. 23, 2015, at the age of 69, to be with our Lord. She was born May 18, 1945, in Winona, Minn. She is survived by her husband, John "Butch" Sears; her son and daughter-in-law, Brandon and Jeri Griffin; granddaughters, Arianna and Oceanna Griffin; stepsons, John Shanahan and Scott, Todd and Dan Sears; and sisters, Virginia Pitts, Sandra Connolly, Jean Sheridan and Sherry Buege; and many nieces and nephews and grand-nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Lorna Buege Sr.; and brothers, Bernard Buege and Henry Buege Jr. Gloria was born in Winona, Minn., and came to Alaska in 1949, over the Alcan Highway, and graduated from East Anchorage High School in 1963. She spent a short time in Montana and California, eventually settling in Seward, Alaska, at Lowell Point. For the past 27 years she worked for Harbor Enterprises in Seward. As a child, she raced sled dogs, showed dogs and trained them for obedience. As an adult, she even entered in the Iditarod promotional Race, at which she was awarded the Sportsmanship Trophy. She loved her border collies, especially her dog Marley. Gloria especially loved walking the beach by her home. She was an avid gardener and had created a beautiful garden at her home. Generous and loving are the best words to describe Gloria. She was always kind and generous to those who needed it and always tried to help everyone. Her family and friends were most important to her. In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite cancer research center or to the church and, above all, pray that God will direct someone to discover a cure for cancer. Services for Gloria will be held on March 15, 2015, at 2 p.m. at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 11600 Elmore Road in Anchorage, Alaska.