Hammersland, Gladys Lorraine (Kenyon) 1929 - 2024
HAMMERSLAND, KENYON, TOFTOY, ANDERSON, ADAMS, NEILSEN, KUENNEN, TORRES, JACK, ISHINOMIYA, CARDWELL, FAMULINE, BULLERMAN, SINCLAIR, KRIENER, PREUL, SCHADLER, JONES, BUSHMAN, HAZEL, REYNER, BOYCE, LARSON, HANSEN, BELSCHNER, SPRINGER
Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 10/28/2024 at 14:46:08
Gladys Lorraine (Kenyon) Hammersland, 95 of Ossian, Iowa passed away Friday, October 18, 2024 at Ossian Senior Hospice in Ossian, Iowa. Gladys Lorraine Kenyon was born at the home of her grandmother, Thea Anderson Toftoy on June 13, 1929 in Mason City, Iowa. Her grandmother lived across the street from a building that looked like a Dutch windmill. Gladys was the second of three children born to Ray Kenneth and Olea Tillie (Anderson) Kenyon.
Gladys completed grades one and two her first year in school in Bassett, Iowa. The family moved for work to Cedar Falls, back to Bassett and then to Waterloo. When the US entered into World War II (1941), Gladys’s father Ray traveled with his family to jobs as a construction electrician for war plants in Minneapolis and eventually in Kansas City. Missouri. One semester, the three ‘Kenyon Kids’ went to three different schools. School administrators suggested that children that moved so much should be held back. Their mother Olea did not allow it! Gladys graduated from Central High School in Kansas City, Missouri 1946, six days before her 17th birthday. She hoped to attend nursing school, but she had to be 18 to be accepted.
Gladys met her future husband, Harold Hanford Hammersland, at the First Lutheran Church in Kansas City where they were active in choir and Luther League. Harold was an aircraft mechanic at Trans World Airlines (TWA) at the time they met. He had studied at the National Aeronautical School and served in the Army Airforce. They married on August 21, 1948 in Kansas City. They moved to the Lommen farm south of Ossian, Iowa in January of 1949 where they raised their seven children Thea, Eric, Leon, Neil, Gwen, Beth and Nena.
Life in rural Iowa in 1949 was very different from life in Kansas City. As Gladys would say running water meant running up the hill to the well to get water. The attention required to tend wood stoves for heat and cooking was tricky! Gladys became an accomplished farm wife. She drove tractor, milked cows and ‘buffed’ thousands of eggs (3,600/week) to get the best price for them. She fed the family of nine, with eggs, milk, beef and pork from the farm. The family production line froze sweet corn and one year 99 meals of peas, canned hundreds of quarts of tomatoes and green beans and butchered chickens. It took a lot longer to do laundry when the washing machine had a ringer instead of a spin cycle and all the clothes dried on a clothes line. Glayds worked at Atwood in West Union from its opening in the 70’s until her retirement in 1991 at the age of 62.
Gladys enjoyed spending time with family, reading, doing puzzles and flower gardening. Harold glued and framed the best-looking puzzles. She and Harold expanded their flower gardens when they retired so they always had fresh flowers for the table. In the winter, begonias, chrysanthemums, and hanging baskets joined her collection of houseplants. Gladys enjoyed decorating for the seasons. She especially liked her large collection of nativity figurines, sometimes displaying them until summer. Gladys and Harold would take off for the day and visit many gardens. They traveled to visit family in Alaska, Seattle, Texas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Missouri.
Gladys was a faithful member of Stavanger Lutheran church, active in the Ladies Aid, Bible Study circle, teaching Sunday school and quilting. She was an excellent baker, often making deliveries of favorite apple and banana chocolate chips muffins to local family members. At Thanksgiving, she made a dozen different pies so she could make the favorite of each person.
Gladys liked clothes and costume jewelry. She had a necklace, earrings and a fun, sometimes enormous ring for every outfit. She was best known as an owl collector- having perhaps 1,000 at one time. During her last decade on the farm her black lab Suzie was Gladys’ companion. Gladys was always appreciated for her positive and optimistic attitude and tolerance of different ideas.
In over 64 years of marriage, Harold and Gladys were blessed with seven children; 15 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren. Gladys is survived by her children, Thea (Bob) Adams of Buffalo, Minnesota, Eric and LuAnn (Neisen) Hammersland of Ossian, Iowa, Leon and Anna (Kuennen) Hammersland of Festina, Iowa, Neil and JoAnn (Brackin) Hammersland of Hawkeye, Iowa, Beth Hammersland-Torres of Ketchikan, Alaska and Nena Jack of Seattle, Washington; grandchildren and great grandchildren, Rev. Henry and Shoko (Ichinomiya) Adams, Ryoma, Shoma and Tokuma of San Mateo, California, Sara Cardwell of Lees Summit, Missouri, Bret and Amber (Famuline) Hammersland, Evan and Alex of Lees Summit, Missouri, Dr. Jamie and Amy (Bullerman) Hammersland, Owen and Griffen of Elkader, Iowa, Dustin and Kerri (Timp) Hammersland, Brexton, Jaxson and Paxton of Center Point, Iowa, Brice and Callie (Sinclair) Hammersland of Parker, Colorado, Dillon and Jenny (Kriener) Hammersland of Parker, Colorado, Shanna (Jason) Preul, Nader and Danah of Gretna, Nebraska, Lisa (Brian) Schadler, Mikala and Mya of Center Point, Iowa, Brent and Ashley (Jones) Bushman, Jaqueline, Brooklyn and Kali of Sumner, Iowa, Jessica Bushman, Victoria and Keaton of West Union, Iowa, Nicole Bushman, Rylee and Aubree of West Union, Iowa, TJ Hammersland-Torres of Boise, Idaho, Antoinina (Cody) Hazel of Fort Drum, New York and Logan Hammersland of Fairbanks, Alaska. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Norma Springer; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Marie and Franklin Reyner; and sister-in-law, Ann (Don) Kenyon and many nieces and nephews.
Preceding Gladys in death was her husband, Harold Hammersland in 2013; daughter, Gwen Hammersland McDonald; son-in-law, Mark Jack; son-in-law, Tommy Torres; parents, Ray and Ole Kenyon; brothers, Earle Kenyon and Donald Kenyon; sisters-in-law, Willa Kenyon, Dena Kenyon, Ada Boyce, Clarice Larson, Alice Hansen and Sylvia Belschner; and brothers-in-law, Arden Boyce, Harold Larson, Rev. Earling Hansen, Delbert Belschner and Kenneth Springer.
Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, October 29, 2024 at Stavanger Lutheran Church in Ossian, Iowa with Rev. Daryl Schultz as the officiant. There will be a two hour visitation from 9:00 am to 11:00 am before services at the church on Tuesday.
Burial will follow at Stavanger Lutheran Church Cemetery in Ossian, Iowa.
Schmitz-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Ossian, Iowa is assisting the family with services.
Source: Grau Funeral Home database
Stavanger Cemetery
Winneshiek Obituaries maintained by Jeff Getchell.
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