Betty Jo Devine-Acres

Betty Jo Devine was born Oct. 17, 1954, and was raised in Lake Oswego, Ore., until June 1971, when her family moved to Seattle. She graduated from Nathan Hale High School in 1972, after which she attended North Seattle Community College, Central University in Oklahoma and obtained her BLA in Communications at the University of Alaska Southeast in 1984.

Jo went on to get her master’s in English literature from the University of Washington in 1988, while she was raising her two young sons, which took a great deal of hard work. Jo also furthered her education by attending the prestigious Bread Loaf, Master of Letters, Program through Vermont’s Middlebury College. In 1990, Jo took a position with University of Alaska Southeast as an English professor. She made a great impact on her students and was also a passionate colleague who helped raise standards, especially in the English department.

Jo was a loving and supportive mother, grandmother and wife. Jo was a free spirit and a wonderful artist as well as a writer. She loved and was loved by her family and many friends. Jo loved her animals and the outdoors. Jo will be dearly missed.

Jo is survived by her husband, Gregory Acres; her sons, Bradley (Penny) and Mason Leland (Jennifer); six grandchildren, Keagan, Morgan, Ashton, Milo, Cedar and Myelle; and former daughter-in-law, Amy Osterbrink.