Gladys Andersen

Gladys Emma Andersen

12/11/1936 - 1/24/2023

Gladys was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She was born on December 11, 1936 in Hewitt, Minnesota to a Norwegian father, Benjamin Denny and Swedish mother, Florence (Anderson) Denny. She was the fourth oldest of nine children.

Gladys attended Maplewood Academy in Hutchinson, Minnesota and graduated in 1954 with her high school diploma. She also studied at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska and Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon.

As a young woman, she moved from the mid-west to Los Angeles, California with one of her friends. She enjoyed working as an administrative assistant at the White Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church. In her free time, she loved roller skating and playing basketball. Eventually she moved to Portland, Oregon and worked as a secretary at Freightliner Trucks. There she met her prince charming, Gordon Andersen. They were married on November 5, 1964.

In the summer of 1969, she and Gordon spent 8 weeks touring 13 countries in Western Europe. Prior to the trip, they ordered a new Volkswagen Beetle at a local dealership in Portland, Oregon and arranged to pick it up directly from the factory in Germany. That was their main transportation throughout Europe and they shipped it home to Portland after their European adventure. At other points in her life, she traveled broadly in the USA as well as Asia.

She was a homemaker, and a hardworking hobby farmer; taking care of the grape vineyard, apple orchard and running the U-Pick operation with her husband Gordon for over 45 years. They had many devoted customers and helpers.

Gladys was a devoted mother to her two children, Bruce and Carla and made sure they always had a warm healthy breakfast before going off to school. When Bruce and Carla turned 15 years old, she took them on their birthdays directly to the work permit office to obtain their legal working status and thereafter she had no trouble finding them jobs in the community! This instilled a strong work ethic. At the same time, she taught them how to open a bank account where they would save their money after paying tithe. She helped with many school activities as well and taught her children wonderful lessons that will benefit them for years.

Gladys was a member of the Salem Central Seventh-day Adventist Church. She served as a leader at the community center for 18 years helping those in need. She was very active in church and served in many capacities – as assistant treasurer, personal ministry secretary, librarian and more. She also was active on the social committee and contributed to the planning of many fun social events for the church. She brought life and laughter wherever she went.

Gladys always had a large garden and enjoyed preserving and serving the bounty it provided. In the last several years, she looked forward to her oldest grandson, Branden, coming to spend time with her gardening and harvesting its produce. She also loved to crochet and do other various crafts.

Gladys was known for always having her homemade grape juice and a home cooked meal ready whenever anyone showed up. She was an excellent cook. She hosted many parties, dinners, bonfires and picnics over the years in her home and lovely yard.

Gladys Andersen passed away on Tuesday, January 24, 2023 in Salem, Oregon. She will be greatly missed by many.

Gladys is survived by her son Bruce, her daughter Carla, Grandchildren Ashley Moye (Greg), Branden (Meryl) Brittney, Breanna, and Braden. Great Grandchildren Loren, Dillon, Charley and Baker. She is also survived by 6 of her siblings. Her husband, Gordon, of 58 years passed away 42 days after her. She was preceded by her Mother Florence Denny and Father Benjamin Denny and two sisters, Freda and Melva.