GLADYS PURCELL

It is with great sadness that the family of Gladys Purcell announces her passing Tuesday, July 17, 2018. She died at home surrounded by family members. Gladys was 94 years old, and blessed with a sound mind and sense of humor until the end. Until retirement, Gladys was a dairy farmer in the township of Merrimac. Edwin and Gladys were married in November of 1940, a marriage of 65 years. They were in dairy production until the 1990's. The farm was the soul of the Purcell family.   Gladys was the spirit of industry, reveling in the beauty of the fields, her many flower beds, the resident animals and birds, and huge productive gardens. As a farmer Gladys worked sided by side with her husband, becoming tenacious in her drive to develop knowledge in business and mechanics. She excelled in the traditional farm wife roles of cooking, canning and baking.

Gladys was born January 1, 1924, in the community of Auxier, Floyd County, Kentucky. She was the first-born child of Hiram and Martha Martin. Gladys was a true pioneer woman, in many ways. Her father was a stone mason and coal miner the Appalachian Mountains where she and her family struggled with the hardships common to that region and those times. She shared many stories of riding on the back of a mule with her beloved Aunt Chloe, who often delivered homemade ginger cookies and jams to the local children.   Her Grandmother Martin was a true "Hill Country midwife". The Martin family migrated to Tipler, Wisconsin, a community of loggers and iron miners, in 1936 when she was 12 years old. The Martin family moved into a small log cabin to face the Northern Wisconsin winters, without electricity or running water. During a part of WWII Gladys worked on the powder line at the Badger Army Ammunition Plant. In 1946, when her husband returned from the war, the family bought a farm in the Merrimac Township where she remained until her death.

Gladys is survived by her son, Daniel (Jean) Purcell, and daughter, LaVonne (Jim) Lytle, with children Cassandra (Travis) Steinke and James Lytle. Grandchildren include: John (Amy), with children Carsten, Vivian, and Elise; Mark (Rochelle); and Brian (Tammie) with Trevor, Easton and Madalyn.

Gladys' surviving siblings include: Ella White, Bonnie Baldwin, Genevieve Phillipson, Monnie Kleinfeld, and brother Jack Martin.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Edwin Purcell, in 2005, and her son, David Purcell, in 2010 and her siblings: Arthur Martin, Judy Gurchinoff, Edgar Martin, and Edwina Ritchie.

The family wishes to express special thanks for the care and compassion of Sharon Dohmeyer  and the staff at St. Clare Hospital.

Funeral services will be held at the Hooverson Funeral Home on Saturday July 21 at 1P.M., with visitation prior from 10-1. Pastor Doris Simpson will officiate. Following a graveside service at Kingston Cemetery, a luncheon will be shared at the Purcell farmhouse.