Beloved wife and mother Gladys Evelyn Mees passed away peacefully on August 21, 2022, at the age of 92, surrounded by her family. Gladys was born on May 27, 1930, to Edward A. and Emma O. (Knaffle) Neumann on Stanley Street in Cheboygan, Michigan. She was the youngest of eight children (five lived to adulthood). Her younger years were spent in the house her dad built and she began her lifelong church work (dusting the pews) at age eight in the church next door, St. Thomas Lutheran. At age twelve she began working for relatives, babysitting and cleaning. She was always energetic and adventurous and, as a teenager, was delighted to be invited to go with relatives to Tucson, AZ, when she fell in love with the town. After high school, she moved to Columbus, Ohio, to work at the Wartburg Press. While there, she met the love of her life, Arthur F. Mees, who was just about to graduate from Wartburg Theological seminary. Gladys liked to joke that she grew up determined NOT to marry a minister! But love won out and they were married on October 5, 1954, in Sacramento, California, and had sixty happy years together. Together, they served churches in Sacramento and Compton, CA, Kingman and Tucson, AZ, as well as many mission and interim churches. While Arthur preached, Gladys worked behind the scenes doing her favorite thing: bringing people together- putting on parties for every occasion, creating many kinds of groups (Luther League, SS classes, Pairs & Spares, Winter Visitors, etc.), starting programs (such as Head Start, Lutheran Thrift Store), leading groups (PTA in Kingman; ALCW & German Heritage Club in Tucson) and introducing people to one another. When she brought people together, there was always a lot of good food and laughter involved. Along the way, she helped bring in income by making wedding cakes, selling Tupperware, and, what she especially liked, working with books and kids as a library clerk with the Tucson school district and working as the church secretary at American Lutheran. She is survived by her sons Arthur Frederick, Jr. (Fred) (Lilly) Mees and David (Patti) Mees and daughter Janet (Wayne) Seames, by six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Art, her parents, her sisters Frieda and Lucille, and brothers Louis and Richard. Her memorial service will held at American Lutheran Church, 115 N. Tucson Blvd., on January 14, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, Memorials may be given to the Gospel Rescue Mission, 4550 S Palo Verde Rd, Tucson, AZ 85714; https://grmtucson.com/
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