Frances Gus’dutéen Woosley, nee Cletheroe (1922 – 2024)
	
Frances Woosley was the daughter of Billy and Amy Cletheroe and a citizen of the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council.((//Kwanlin Dün: Our Story in Our Words.// Kwanlin Dün First Nation, 2020: 151.)) She became a respected elder and matriarch of the Jenny LeBarge family and the Daklaweidi Clan of the Wolf Moiety.((“Frances Gu’Duteen Woosley.” //The Whitehorse Star// (Whitehorse), 15 March 2024.))
	 
During the Second World War her family lived in a Whitehorse house built by her father on rented White Pass land. Her mother worked next door for Mrs. Breen in a private laundry that washed and ironed uniforms for senior US Army officers. It was bad time for alcohol and the number of parties in Whitehorse. To escape the chaos, Frances’ father moved the family to Violet Creek in the Livingstone mining district in 1943.((//Kwanlin Dün: Our Story in Our Words.// Kwanlin Dün First Nation, 2020: 151.)) The family returned to live in Whitehorse in 1947.((Yukon Government, Stan Cletheroe interview with Doug Olynyk, June 1, 1993.))
	
Frances and Bobby Austin were the first outfitters to set up business on the Dempster Highway. After Bobby’s death, his wife, now Frances Woosley, operated for a few years before selling out to Pete Jensen. Frances was the second woman to operate a big game hunting business in the Yukon. Belle Desrosiers was the first.((Dempster Highway Interpretive Strategy, Vol. 1: Background Report. YTG Dept. of Tourism and Dempster Highway Corridor Technical Study Team, 1989: 55-56.))
	
In 1997, Frances was one of a group of elders and leaders who signed an agreement that finalized the separation of the Kwanlin Dun and the Ta’an Kwäch’än into two separate first nation governments.((//Kwanlin Dün: Our Story in Our Words.// Kwanlin Dün First Nation, 2020: 214.))
	
Frances Woosley was presented with a 2020 Lifetime Achievement award presented by the Assembly of First Nations, Yukon Region for her outstanding contribution to Yukon First Nations, the Yukon, and beyond.((//The Whitehorse Star// (Whitehorse), 17 February 2021.)) Frances was inducted into the Order of the Yukon in 2020 for her demonstrated excellence and achievement and her outstanding contributions to the social, cultural or economic well-being of Yukon and its residents.((“Congratulations.” //Deslin Neek,// Issue 60, December 2020: 20.)) In March 2021, she was presented with an Assembly of First Nations Wellness Award for promoting the wellbeing of First Nation citizens.((Gabrielle Plonka, “Yukoners honoured with leadership awards.” //Yukon News// (Whitehorse), 24 March 2021.))