Gladys Hills 1910 - 2004

HILLS, MCKENZIE, BIRD

Posted By: A.M.W. (email)
Date: 3/2/2006 at 18:40:24

Gladys Mae Hills, 94 of Mt. Pleasant, died Tuesday, November 30, 2004 at her home following a lengthy illness.

Visitation for Mrs. Hills will be held on Friday, December 3, beginning after 2:00 p.m., at the Olson - Powell Memorial Chapel, in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, where the family will greet friends from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. that evening. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, December 4, at 10:30 a.m., at the Olson - Powell Memorial Chapel, with the Rev. Dr. Jerry Kelly officiating. Burial will be in the Forest Home Cemetery. Memorials have been established to the
Mt. Pleasant Public Library.

Gladys, a lifelong resident of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, was born on July 2, 1910, to Clyde E. and Laura Bird McKenzie. She married Robert Cooley Hills on November 27, 1927. He died on June 5, 1946, leaving her to raise their three children.

During World War II, Gladys worked at the Ordinance Plant. She later worked for Sheaffer Pen until the closing of the plant. Following that, she was employed at the State Mental Health Hospital for a number of years, until she was forced to retire due to poor health. Gladys worked out of her home in her ceramic shop for several years, where she enjoyed working with her students who soon became friends.

Gladys’s family was her special joy. She enjoyed volunteering at a local care center, where she shared her talent for painting ceramics with the residents. Some of her finest pieces were given to local charities.