Long time resident and honored volunteer dies at age 97.
Liddie Gladys Gardner was born in Edmonson County (cave country) Kentucky April 3rd, 1918. She moved to Portland when Tandy and Velma Ferguson brought their six kids north during the depression.
She married Don Gardner, who later owned Elberson Auto Parts. With the exception of working in Chicago and Boston, when she followed Don during his war years in the Navy, she spent most of her life here. Staying close to sisters Lois Councilman and Nellie Ashcraft, and brothers William Clyde, Charles and Hamilton Ferguson.
Gladys was inducted into the Jay County Hall of Fame for Community Service. She founded Widow-to-Widow, was the national president of Psi Iota Xi women’s philanthropic sorority, volunteered at the Jay County Mental Health Board, Arts Council and food bank, as well as being an active member of the First Presbyterian Church for over fifty years. And, she still found time with her pals for golf and bowling.
She had been living at Horizon Bay Senior Independent Living Center in Louisville, KY where she was fondly known simply as GG. Gladys passed in the Episcopal Church Home in Louisville, KY on October 19th and is survived by her son Steve and daughter-in-law Carol, granddaughters Kristen, Brittney, Laura and Liz and great grandchildren Elaine, Ethan, Kate, Carson, Ruby, Lucy and Finley, and great-great grandson Will.
GG for newspaper