Alice Gilmore

Published 9:52 am Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Alice Burns Gilmore, 92, passed away Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015, after a brief illness. She was born in Albert Lea Jan. 16, 1923, to Dr. H.D. and Corinne S. Burns. After graduating from Albert Lea High School and attending a year of junior college there, she transferred to The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, where she majored in biology. 

After graduation from college in 1944, she was employed briefly as a welder during World War II and then enlisted in the Navy, where she served as an aerographer’s mate, third class in the WAVES.

Alice married her husband, Orville, Nov. 17, 1945. They recently celebrated their 69th anniversary. After he retired from teaching, they moved to the North Woods of Minnesota where they lived in a cabin on a Canadian border lake for 20 years, until moving to Cottonwood, Arizona, in 1993.

Alice loved the outdoors and was a passionate birder. She had a life list of 557 birds, 30 of which she saw in Europe. She and her husband enjoyed camping and traveling, and visited 49 of the 50 states over the years. She was also an avid reader and participated in the Cottonwood Public Library book discussion group for many years.

She is preceded in death by a son, Donald, and is survived by her husband, Orville; and daughters Catherine Karppinen (Mahlon) of Glyndon and Constance Gilmore (Michael) of Cottonwood. She has six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

In accord with her wishes, there will be no services. Donations in her memory may be made to the Cottonwood Bookmarks, c/o Cottonwood Public Library, 100 S. 6th St., Cottonwood, AZ 86326.