Funeral services for Gladys V. Wolfe, age 95, of Lemmon, SD, will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, October 5, 2020 at the Prince of Peace Chapel of the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon, SD.  Pat Clark will officiate with burial to follow in the Morristown Cemetery in Morristown, SD.

Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the Funeral Home on Monday afternoon.

Gladys Vivian was born June 20, 1925 to George and Gladys (Holmes) Olson.   Her and her five sisters were all born and raised in rural Corson County, South Dakota.  She attended the Pioneer School near Morristown.  She was a member of the Christ Lutheran Church in Morristown and St. Paul's Lutheran Church in McIntosh.   Gladys married Herbert H. Wolfe in Morristown on March 14, 1943.

Gladys was the oldest of the Olson sisters and was a great help to her Dad raising the younger girls during her mother's illness and after she passed away when Gladys was in her early 20's.   She was also a great help to her Dad when it came to helping with the farm work.  Being raised on a farm came in handy when she married Herb as they started their married life on Herb's farm near Watauga until they retired from farming and moved to McIntosh in 1972.

Gladys provided day care and cleaned houses for many families in Watauga and McIntosh.   In her housekeeping days and while living on the farm she made lots of delicious cinnamon rolls with brown sugar and whole cream topping. She also made the best banana muffins and could fry all the fish that Herb caught in a variety of ways.  She was known to put a lot of time and effort into whatever she did because she always wanted to make everything just right.  Gladys and Herb did not have children of their own, but she was the "other Mother" to dozens and dozens of her daycare kids.  She took pride and joy in caring for the children of working moms.  Many of her day care kids continued to stay in contact with Gladys over the years.   Gladys also worked for her brother-in-law Fred Wolfe at the Red and White Store in Watauga.  She wasn't afraid to tackle anything.  When they made the move to McIntosh,  she continued providing day care and also kept busy mowing yards and helping her neighbors in any way she could. Her sister, Mavis, said that Gladys' hands sure have seen a lot of hard work through the years.

After Herb passed away on April 23, 1995, Gladys moved to Lemmon, and was able to live next door to her sister, Ella Mae.  While in Lemmon she enjoyed baking, walking, visiting the neighbors and playing cards and games with the card playing gang.

Gladys was a master quilter.  She made and gifted quilts to many family and friends.  You could always find a pile of quilt blocks ready to be sewed in her home.  It was a sad day when she had to give up quilting because of her failing eye sight.

Gladys was a 23 year colon cancer survivor! Living with an ostomy, pace maker, diabetes and failing eye sight did not stop her.  She was a "trooper" and never complained about the obstacles in her life.

Gladys entered Five Counties Nursing Home in August 2016.  She enjoyed visits from family and friends and especially liked it when the girls gathered upstairs for a game of cards and treats.  She enjoyed playing Bingo at the Nursing Home and liked picking out the beaded necklaces, earrings and bracelets as Bingo prizes so she could give them to her nieces when they visited.

Gladys passed away at the Five Counties Nursing Home on September 30, 2020.  The staff at Five Counties became her extended family as they lovingly and compassionately provided her care and comfort while making her home with them.

She was preceded in death by her husband, parents and sisters Harriet Pazie-Cockerham and Mary Alice Meyer, brother-in-laws Roy Pazie, Frank Cockerham, Keith Meyer, Jim Clark, Jack Hausauer and Keith Meyer.

Surviving family members include sisters Mavis Clark, Ella Mae Hausauer, Norma (Ralph) Weerts and numerous nieces and nephews.