Gladys Mae Garrison

Gladys Mae Garrison was born on April 9, 1927, to her parents John Albert and Edna Mae (Bonnette) Grimm, in York Township, Fillmore County, Minnesota. Her family moved to Mitchell, Iowa, where she attended school, later graduating high school in 1946. On August 16, 1946, Gladys was united in marriage to Gale Garrison, in Osage, Iowa. He preceded her in death in 2013.

Gladys worked as a homemaker, where she was able to stay and care for her two daughters, Cynthia, and Debra. While taking care of her home and family, Gladys found an interest in sewing; she was an excellent seamstress and sewed all her daughters' clothes and was fond of making quilts.

In her free time, she enjoyed all things sewing, reading, and was an avid flower and plant gardener; so much so, she was a Blue-Ribbon winner for her talent in gardening. Gladys was a sports fanatic, two of her favorite teams being the Iowa Hawkeyes and Chicago Cubs (her life being complete when the Cubs won the World Series in 2016!). In her later years, she enjoyed traveling and wintering in Texas with her husband. She was a faithful member of the Kimball Avenue United Methodist Church in Waterloo, and a member of the Cedar Valley Garden Club. She was also a legacy member of the Helping Hands Sewing Group at KAUMC Church.

What could be said about Gladys is that she was a simple, traditional woman, but the reality is, she was so creative and talented in many ways; she was strong, resilient, musically gifted, and a woman of strong faith.

Gladys is survived by her daughter Debbie (Randy) Lee of Cedar Falls; grandchildren Matthew (Angela) Lee of Waterloo, Andrew (Elizabeth) Lee of Lawrence, KS and Tyler (Monica) Mayer of St. Louis, MO; great-grandchildren Kristen (Scott) Graham of Cedar Rapids, Grant (Madison) Bossom of Des Moines and Alexandria (John) Shea of Rochester, MN; great-great-grandchildren Layla and Sophia; siblings Ileen Mostek, Betty Lou Ward, Carl (Bonnie) Grimm, all of Osage, IA, Helen (Virgil) Counsell of Independence, MO and Roger Grimm of Kerns, UT, Marge Olson and Shirley (Richard) Frank and Charles (Jackie) Grimm. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Gale; daughter Cynthia Mayer; infant son; brothers John, Willard, Forest "Curly", Robert, and Gerald Grimm.

A memorial visitation for Gladys will be held on Friday, December 2nd from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Locke at Tower Park, 4140 Kimball Ave., Waterloo. The memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 3rd at 10:00 AM at the Kimball Avenue United Methodist Church. Waterloo, IA 50702. Inurnment will follow the memorial service at the Waterloo Cemetery. Memorials will be designated by the family.