Paula Ellen (Pouttu) Weeks

She was born in Hancock, on January 24, 1944, and spent her early years on the Pouttu family homestead built by her grandparents, Juho and Selma Pouttu on Cabbage Road in Elo.

She attended John A. Doelle grade school in Tapiola before moving with her parents, Pentti and Hilda (Narhi) Pouttu, her brother and two sisters to Casper, Wyoming, in 1951. In Casper, she attended McKinley School, Dean C. Morgan Jr High, and Natrona County High School, graduating at age 17 with “straight A’s” in 1961. She was the lead in the school play “Bonjour Paris” and performed exhibition ballroom dancing for the Arthur Murray Studios in Casper.

After high school, she worked at the First National Bank and married Wilbur D. Weeks, general manager of Walgreens for Wyoming and Colorado. Their son, Mark, was born in Casper, they then moved to Grand Junction, Colorado. Returning to Wyoming, she was divorced in 1965 and entered college on an honor scholarship.

She earned reputedly the highest grade point average at the University of Wyoming, was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa honorary at the junior year, and completed two Master’s degrees in anthropology and English. She was awarded a doctoral fellowship at the University of California at Berkeley in anthropology and forensics. After two years study, she did anthropological research on Native American sites near Missoula, Montana, and later at the Pioneer town of South Pass City.

She returned to Wyoming to teach college English and married Gerald Glass, a well-known Wyoming artist. They moved to Tucson, Arizona, and Lander, Wyoming, where she taught English at Central Wyoming College.

Her great loves were her son, Mark Glass, literature, camping and nature.

In the 1980s, she returned to the Upper Peninsula and lived in Baraga and Houghton. She spent winters in McKinnon, Georgia, with her mother, Hilda Pouttu, until Hilda died in 1998. She spent two decades living at the Douglass House in Houghton, providing rides to elderly people to visit their farm homes, and donated her car to the Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly when she could no longer drive.

Paula is survived by her son, Mark Pouttu Glass of N. Chesterfield, Virginia; a brother, Bent John Pouttu of Elo; two sisters, Helen (Pouttu) Cooke of Western Springs, Illinois, and Linda (Pouttu) Schumacher of Pinedale, Wyoming; one aunt, Lillian Pouttu of Chassell; and eleven nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by two sisters, Alice (Pouttu) Karsama and Gail Pouttu.

Visitation will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 22, 2018, at the Jukuri-Antila Funeral Home, 1500 W. Quincy Street, Hancock, with words by Pastor Julie Belew at 7:30 p.m.

A short graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 23, 2018, at the Elo Cemetery with Pastor Julie Belew to officiate followed by a lunch gathering at the Feed Mill Cafe.

If desired, memorials may be sent to Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly, 527 Hancock St., Hancock, MI 49930, in the name of Paula E. Weeks.

Arrangements are being handled by Antila Funeral Service, Inc.

Online condolences may be expressed to the family at antilafuneral.com.