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Stephen Lloyd Wilkes, Janette Susan Carter Wilkes, and their youngest son, Eliot Carter Wilkes, of Albuquerque, were killed in the crash of a small plane in Bettles, Alaska, while vacationing there with friends. Janette Carter Wilkes, born June 6, 1952, in Amarillo, Texas, was a distingushed physician, researcher, and Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. Janette grew up in Colorado and Idaho. She attended elementary school in Colorado, attended junior high school and graduated from high school in Buhl, Idaho, in 1970. She received her undergraduate degree from Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, in 1974 and the Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of New Mexico in 1978. She was a Pathology Fellow at UNM-SOM in Albuquerque from 1978 to 1979, a residency in Internal Medicine from 1979 to 1982 in Sacramento, CA, and her Chief Residency in Internal Medicine at UNM-SOM in Albuquerque. Janette received additional training at the New England Epidemiology Institute. She was board certified in Internal Medicine and held medical licensure in the State of New Mexico since 1986. Janette was the Director of the Diabetes Model Project and Area Diabetes Control Officer, General Physician, Public Health Service/Indian Health Service, Albuquerque Service Unit from 1983 to 1989. She was Assistant Professor, Veterans Affairs Medical Center and UNM-SOM, Department of Medicine, Primary Care Division, Albuquerque, from 1989 to 1999. At the time of her death, Janette held the position of Associate Professor with Tenure, Veterans Affairs Medical Center/UNM-SOM, Department of Medicine, Primary Care Division, and directed research in the Native American Diabetes Research Program, University of New Mexico. In 1972 Janette did independent study with Behrhorst Clinic in a small, rustic Indian village in Guatemala, working with rural populations to meet basic public health needs. This experience helped to form her deep commitment to addressing the needs of underserved and disadvantaged populations. Janette was the daughter of and is survived by Rosalie Carter of Albuquerque and LeRoy Carter, deceased. She is survived, also, by her eldest son, Alec Tomás Wilkes, 17, of Albuquerque. Stephen's father, Perry R. Wilkes, Jr., expresses that: It has been a great honor to have been the grandfather of Eliot C. Wilkes, the father-in-law of Janette Carter Wilkes and father of Stephen L. Wilkes. In their own ways, all three of these wonderful, adventurist, delightful, and dedicated individuals were warm and truly inspirational. Their involvement in the most challenging and meaningful things of life makes me think that, were they still with us, our future would be even brighter, much brighter. Without the presence of Eliot, Janette and Steve, I am moved to try harder to fulfill their dreams, as best I can. Early on, it was Steve's efforts in helping to create the Rio Grande Bosque Nature Preserve Society that started me thinking about our tremendous resources and why they need protection and enhancement. Species diversity was the focus of his vision as a vital part of public education. The Rio Grande Nature Center was one result of this initiative. Steve, Janette, Eliot, together with Alec, made their home in Albuquerque's North Valley in a community of loving neighbors and extended family, where they will be deeply missed, as they will be by countless friends and colleagues around the world. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, July 21, 2001 10:30 a.m. at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John, 3rd and Silver in Albuquerque, Celebrant, Rev. Brian C. Taylor, Rector of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, where the family were longtime members. A reception will immediately follow at the Cathedral. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The American Diabetes Association, 525 San Pedro NE, Suite 101, Albuquerque, NM 87108; The Nature Conservancy, 4245 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203-1606; Doctors Without Borders, 6 East 39th Street, 8th floor, New York, NY 10016, or the Christian Children's Fund, Inc., 28221 Emerywood Parkway, Richmond, VA 23294-3725.
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