Gladys K. Burr, 99
Published 11:03 am Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Gladys K. Burr, 99, of Blooming Prairie, Minn., passed away on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013, at the New Richland Care Center in New Richland, Minn.
Gladys Kathryn Bailey was born in Oakland Township, Franklin County, Iowa, on April 23, 1914, to parents Joel Bunyan and Mary Deborah (Mathis) Bailey. She graduated from Marshalltown High School (Iowa) in 1934. Gladys worked at the Deaconess Hospital in Marshalltown from 1934-1937. During this time her future husband, Kenneth Clifford Burr, was a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Gladys was united in marriage to Kenneth on July 30, 1937, at the parsonage of the United Brethren Church, Marshalltown, where Gladys sang in the choir and was a Sunday School teacher. Ken and Gladys were married 58 years. Their first child, Sharon, was born in 1939. In early spring of 1941, the Burrs moved to Denver, Colo., where Kenneth was employed by the Remington Arms Company, and Gladys attended the Emily Griffith Opportunity School, which offered day and night classes in all branches of beauty work. She received her cosmetology license in 1942, at which time she was employed by Harry and Grace Ballard, proprietors of the Virginia Avenue Beauty Shop in Denver. After the war in late fall of 1944, the Burrs returned to Marshalltown where they farmed for five years, and their son, Joe, was born in December of that year. In 1950 the family moved to Beech, Iowa, where they farmed another seven years. Their son, John, was born there in October 1954.
They purchased a farm in Blooming Prairie, Minn., in 1957. During the late 70s and 80s, Gladys worked part time at the Village Café and Ben Franklin in Blooming Prairie. Kenneth passed away Jan. 24, 1996, at which time Gladys moved to her apartment in Blooming Prairie. She loved the Lord, and she and Ken were members of the Geneva Community Lutheran Church since 1957. Gladys thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship there where she at one time taught Sunday School, was a member of Church Council, and for many years was very involved in the Rebecca Ruth Circle. She was in the quilting group at the church, which met every other Monday, and many times brought home quilt blocks to sew together, so part of the quilt would be completed when she returned the next Monday. She always looked forward to going to Senior Citizens and being with her friends there, both in Blooming and in Geneva. She volunteered in the Blooming kitchen for Semcac. She was a member of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, Red Cedar Chapter, Austin. Gladys was a wonderful cook and baker; she enjoyed gardening, flowers, birds and watching the stars at night. She especially loved her family and friends, was very soft spoken, always “watched her words,” and spent many hours playing checkers and Skipbo with her grandchildren as they were growing up, and with her friends, family and two special sisters, Dorothy and Lila, in her later years. She moved to Whispering Oak, Ellendale, in June 2011.
Gladys was preceded in death by her parents, Mary and Joel Bailey; husband, Kenneth C. Burr; five brothers, John (Ruth), Francis (Mildred), Charles (Rosalie), Chester (Peggy), and Wilbur (Edna); two sisters, Dorothy (Sam) Worrell and Lila (Harold) Long.
She is survived by three sisters-in-law, Rosalie (Charles) Bailey, Mildred (Francis) Bailey, and Peggy (Chester) Bailey; brother-in-law Samuel Worrell. Her children are daughter, Sharon Melinda (Harold) Jensen; sons, Joel William (Mary) Burr and John Clifford Burr; grandchildren, Rodney (Lisa) Jensen, Julie (Thomas) Johnson, Stephanie (David) Yi, Wyatt (Crystal) Burr, Weston (Lindsey) Burr; great-grandchildren, Madeline, Grace, and Michael Jensen, Adam, Noah and Giselle Johnson, Savannah and Sophie Yi, Caitlyn, Courtney, Elizabeth Gladys, and Grace Burr, Lana and Elliot Burr; many nieces and nephews.
Gladys’ two favorite Bible verses were Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding;” and II Timothy 2:15: “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed.”
Services prearranged and performed by Worlein Blooming Prairie Funeral Home. Memorials are preferred to Community Lutheran Church in Geneva. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.worlein.com.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013, at Community Lutheran Church in Geneva, Minn., with Pastor Gerald Giese officiating. Visitation will be held for one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be in Geneva Cemetery.