NORTH FORK – A head-on collision just west of North Fork yesterday took the lives of two mountain area residents, who have now been identified.
Gloria Ann Jackson, 60, of Friant, was westbound on Road 200 just west of Road 221 when she was struck head-on by a vehicle driven by Michael Wayne Bowlan, 36, of North Fork.
Both drivers succumbed to their injuries at the scene.
Friends and co-workers at the Ahwahnee Post Office where Gloria worked are devastated by her loss.
“She was always a pleasure to work with,” says Patty Kascht, who not only worked with Gloria, but considered her a dear friend. “She was always smiling and laughing, and was one of those people you could always count on. Any time we took up a collection at work, she was always the first one to donate. She was there for me at my son’s memorial service, and my husband’s birthday party. If she had something you needed, she would bring it to work the next day.”
Gloria had been a part time flex clerk out of the Ahwahnee Post Office since 2001. Different locations would “borrow and loan” employees from other offices to make sure the work was covered, and Gloria has worked at one time or another in every post office from Friant to Fish Camp. That’s what she was doing in Bass Lake yesterday, and what put her on Road 200, on her way home from work when the crash happened.
Patty Kascht remembers Gloria for her love of her family and horses, and her dedication to her work.
“Whatever it took to get the job done, she was there,” says Kascht. “She was one of the best people I have ever know, and one of the best friends I ever had.”
One postal worker reports that some customers brought flowers to the post office today to remember a woman who was loved by so many.
