OLGA GLADYS PHILLIPS, OF MILO, PASSED AWAY FEBRUARY 18, 2001 AT VULCAN EXTENDICARE AT THE AGE OF 92 YEARS.
GLADYS WAS BORN MAY 15, 1908 AT EDMORE, NORTH DAKOTA TO PEDER AND MINA SOLI. AT TWO WEEKS OF AGE SHE MOVED WITH HER FAMILY TO THE QUEENSTOWN AREA, WHERE SHE GREW UP ON THE FAMILY HOMESTEAD WITH HER SEVEN SISTERS AND BROTHERS. SHE ATTENDED QUEENSTOWN SCHOOL UNTIL THE EIGHTH GRADE. FOLLOWING SCHOOL SHE WORKED FOR HER AUNT HANNAH OLSON HELPING FEED THE THRESHING CREWS AND THE CONSTRUCTION CREWS THAT WERE BUILDING ELEVATORS. AT FIFTEEN YEARS OF AGE SHE MOVED TO THE MILO DISTRICT WHERE SHE WORKED FOR THE UMSCHEID AND THOMSON FAMILIES DOING LIGHT HOUSEWORK, COOKING, AND HELPING WITH THE CHILDREN. SHE ALSO WORKED AT THE THOMSON STORE AS A CLERK FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. PRIOR TO MARRIAGE, SHE LIVED WITH THE MILLS FAMILY AND WORKED FOR THEM. ON JUNE 15, 1933 SHE MARRIED DAVID JAMES LAURANCE PHILLIPS AND TOGETHER THEY MOVED IN WITH HIS PARENTS IN MILO, UNTIL MOVING INTO THEIR OWN HOME IN OCTOBER THE SAME YEAR. GLADYS STAYED AT HOME AND RAISED THEIR FIVE CHILDREN UNTIL 1958 WHEN LAURANCE PASSED AWAY, WHEN SHE BEGAN WORKING AT PHILLIP’S HARDWARE STORE AS ASSISTANT MANAGER AND CLERK FOR THE NEXT THIRTY SIX YEARS UNTIL THE BUSINESS WAS SOLD IN 1994. SHE CONTINUED TO RESIDE IN HER OWN HOME IN MILO UNTIL MOVING INTO VULCAN EXTENDICARE ON FEBRUARY 14, 2001.
GLADYS LOVED HER FAMILY AND SPENDING TIME WITH THEM. SHE HAD A SPECIAL PLACE IN HER HEART FOR HER GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT GRANDCHILDREN, BUT NOT SPOILING THEM. SHE ENJOYED KNITTING, CROCHETING, READING, SPENDING QUALITY TIME IN HER YARD, AND COOKING. MEALS COULD MAGICALLY APPEAR OUT OF NOWHERE WHEN COMPANY ARRIVED. SHE WAS A VERY STRONG WILLED LADY AND WAS ALSO KNOWN BY EVERYONE AS THE “BOSS” OF A KITCHEN.
GLADYS WAS VERY ACTIVE IN HER COMMUNITY. DURING THE WAR YEARS SHE WAS A MEMBER OF THE RED CROSS KNITTING GROUP. LATER SHE WAS VERY AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE U.C.W., THE CHURCH BOARD HOLDING NUMEROUS POSITIONS OVER THE YEARS, REBECCA’S, HALL BOARD, THE SENIORS DROP IN CENTRE IN MILO, THE HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION AND THE MILO FALL FAIR. GLADYS WAS ALSO VERY INSTRUMENTAL IN THE MAKING OF THE FIRST SNAKE VALLEY HISTORY BOOK.
LOVING MOTHER OF A DAUGHTER SHARON (ROBERT) THOMSON OF CALGARY, FOUR SONS ROBERT (DARLENE) OF MILO, MURRAY (GAIL) OF HIGH RIVER, DARWIN (SUE) OF SORRENTO, B.C., DALE OF EDMONTON, TEN GRANDCHILDREN DAVID (AMY) THOMSON, BLAIR (SHERRY) THOMSON, DOUGLAS THOMSON, TRISH PHILLIPS, NATHAN PHILLIPS, SCOTT PHILLIPS, JIM PHILLIPS, BARRON PHILLIPS, KELLY PHILLIPS, MAX PHILLIPS, FIVE GREAT GRANDCHILDREN, TWO COUSINS PEARL THOMPSON, VERNE TAERUM, NUMEROUS NIECES AND NEPHEWS.
GLADYS WAS PREDECEASED BY HER HUSBAND LAURANCE, FOUR BROTHERS CARL (VIOLET) SOLI, ART (IRENE) SOLI, GOODWIN SOLI, CONRAD (TERESA) SOLI, THREE SISTERS CLARA (GEORGE) KINGSMITH, HELMA (W.J. BROWNIE) BROWN, PEARL (GORDON) WALLER, A NIECE HELEN ROBERTSON, THREE NEPHEWS KEN KINGSMITH, ED KINGSMITH, RAY KINGSMITH AND HER PARENTS.
CELEBRATION OF LIFE SERVICE WAS HELD THURSDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2001 AT MILO COMMUNITY HALL AT 1:30 P.M. WITH REV. ED SUMMERS OFFICIATING.
INUREMENT O’PERFECT PEACE CEMETERY MILO.
IF FRIENDS SO DESIRE TRIBUTES IN GLADYS’S MEMORY COULD BE MADE TO EITHER THE MILO LIONS CLUB GENERAL DELIVERY MILO, TOL 1LO OR TO THE SNAKE VALLEY DROP IN CENTRE GENERAL DELIVERY MILO TOL 1LO.
ARRANGEMENTS IN CARE OF VULCAN FUNERAL HOME. DIRECTORS. TELEPHONE 1-403-485-2633. E-MAIL CONDOLENCES TO vulcanfuneralhome@hotmail.com.