She was born in Boonton New Jersey. She attended Eastern Nazarene College in Massachusetts earning a teaching degree.

Gladys had an adventurous spirit as evidenced by her first teaching job in Montana, then traveling to teach in Clifton Arizona. In Clifton, Gladys met widower Victor Lynn Meneley, who had a young son Jan. The two secretly courted, then married.

They moved to Tucson where Victor became a prominent presence in Flowing Wells High School and the school district. Victor and Gladys had two children Lisa and Grant joining Jan.

Gladys was the neighborhood mom where Grant and Lisa’s friends frequented. Jan several years older than Grant and Lisa, married and currently lives in Colorado with his wife Toni.

Gladys was a speaker for Christian women’s club traveling across the United States in her car often by herself. She had a passion for sharing the gospel.

In 1997, daughter Lisa shockingly died. In 2009 Victor and Gladys moved to Surprise to be near son Grant and daughter-in-law Eileen.

In 2012 Victor passed away. They had been married close to 50+years. In 2023, 25 years to the day Lisa died, Grant passed away after a short illness. In the 2 1/2 years since Grant's death, Gladys and daughter-in-law Eileen developed a close loving relationship, mirroring the biblical relationship of Naomi and Ruth. Gladys is predeceased by children Lisa and Grant, husband Victor, brother Kurt.

Gladys will be missed by her caregivers at Orchard Pointe Surprise, her stepson Jan and his wife Toni as well as her ‘Daughter in Love’ Eileen.

Graveside burial will be July 11, 2025, at 1pm in Pesotum, Illinois at David Memorial Cemetery, 300 E Madison St, Pesotum, IL 61863