Jane Drake

MIDDLETON-Jane Ann Drake, age 73, died on Friday, October 16, 2015 after a brief illness. She was born in Reedsburg, on August 12, 1942, the only child of Charles and Verona (Wendtland) Happle. She graduated from St. Peter's Lutheran Grade School in 1956 and Webb High School in 1960, both in Reedsburg. Jane was active in Girl Scouts all the way through high school and represented the Blackhawk Council in Colorado Springs in 1959. She loved camping and the highlight of those experiences was a canoe trip along the Boundary Waters paddling from Ely, MN to Winton when she was only 15. Jane attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated with a BA degree in Economics. Following her graduation she went to work for the American Red Cross as a recreation worker, first for a year in Korea and then for three years in the Washington D.C. area during the Vietnam Era. There she worked at both Walter Reed Army Hospital and the U.S. Naval Hospital in Bethesda, MD. Upon the death of her mother in 1968, she returned to Wisconsin to direct the YWCA Camp Maria Olbrich on the north shore of Lake Mendota. In 1969 she married John Mason Drake. They divorced in 1978. He preceded her in death in 2008. In 1969 she started her long and fulfilling career with State of Wisconsin, beginning as a Job Service Specialist with DILHR and retiring in 2000 as a Senior Policy and Budget Analyst with the Department of Commerce. Her true passion was traveling whether by land, sea or air. After spending time in all 50 states, she ventured out to more exotic and distant places, visiting six out of seven continents. Highlights of her travels included sailing around Cape Horn, visiting the Peruvian Amazon, Macchu Pichu and the Galapagos Islands, and exploring New Zealand and Australia. During her first year of Red Cross service in the Far East she spent time in Korea, Japan and Hong Kong, also while in the Far East she visited China and Thailand, innumerable European countries. She enjoyed a number of cruises sailing to many ports in the Caribbean, one around the tip of South America, two in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, one for fall colors in the Northeast including Nova Scotia, and almost two weeks in the eastern Mediterranean stopping in Istanbul and two ports in Egypt. " Now I can say I've seen the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid. And finally, if you ever want a fabulous experience, GO ON SAFARI. Four of us spent two weeks in Kenya and we all enjoyed every minute of it." Jane was an avid Badger and Packer fan, enjoyed bowling, golf, crossword puzzles and playing bridge. She was a member of the American Red Cross Overseas Association (ARCOA) since returning from Korea in 1965. She became an active and dedicated member beginning in 2004. After that she never missed a convention (either chairing or co-chairing those held in Providence, RI; Portland, OR, Little Rock, AR and Denver, CO). She seldom missed ARCOA's Fall Memorial Service held at ARC National Headquarters in Washington, D.C. She served as national treasurer beginning in 2010. Jane was also a member of the University Women's Club, Who's New in Madison. Her name was listed on the Historic Honor Roll of the National Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation. She is survived by her older son, John Mason Drake , Jr. (JJ) and his son Zachary, both of Dayton, Nevada and her younger son Jason Charles Drake and his son Jason Matthew Drake-Field both of LaCrosse area. Jane was preceded in death by her parents. A Memorial Service will be held at GREENWOOD CEMETERY CHAPEL, 1000 Myrtle St., Reedsburg at 11 a.m. on Friday, November 6, 2015. A Celebration of Jane's life will be held at the HODY BAR & GRILL, 1914 Aurora St., Middleton from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 7, 2015. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Red Cross or the American Cancer Society. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.