Watch Gladys' Funeral

Gladys Gordon, age 78, of Naytahwaush, MN, died Thursday, November 12, 2020, at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, MN.

Gladys Jeannette Roy was born February 2, 1942, in White Earth, MN, the youngest child of Louis Roy and Mary (Oppegard) Roy.  She grew up in Naytahwaush, where she attended elementary school, and graduated from Mahnomen High School in 1960.  In 1963, Gladys became a registered nurse after completing schooling at St. Francis School of Nursing in Breckenridge, MN.  In 1986, she graduated Bemidji State University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

On December 28, 1963, Gladys was united in marriage to the love of her life, Harold "Butch" Gordon.  Gladys worked at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis before she and Butch moved to the Chicago, IL, area in 1964, where Gladys worked first at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago and later at Sherman Hospital in Elgin, IL.  Butch and Gladys bought their first house in Carpentersville, IL, where they started their family.  Their son, Robert, was born in 1964, followed by the birth of twins Sharon and Cheryl in 1967.  Daughter Sherilyn was born in 1968, and in 1971 their last child, Matthew, was born.  In 1974, the Gordon family moved to Roy Lake, MN, where Gladys worked for Multi-County Nursing in Mahnomen.  In 1977, Gladys started her career at White Earth Indian Health Service, from which she would retire as the head of the nursing department in 1997.

Gladys was a dedicated mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.  Her world revolved around her grandchildren.  She raised her first grandson, John, from a young age.  She was especially close to her granddaughters, Catarina and Erica.  She was also a big influence in the life of her niece, Tracey Roy, who was like a daughter to her.  Gladys was beloved in the community.  Many people from the White Earth Reservation have fond memories of Gladys caring for them at the clinic.  She was active in the St. Anne's Catholic Church community, the church where she was married.  For several years, Butch and Gladys spent winter months in central Florida, where she developed loving relationships with many people in her neighborhood of Ridgewood Lakes in Davenport, FL.

Gladys is survived by her husband, Butch; her son, Robert Gordon, her daughter, Sherilyn Brumback, her son, Matthew Gordon, and her son-in-law, Gregory Brumback; grandchildren: John (Desiree Wadena) Gordon, Catarina Gordon, Sean Gordon, Erica Gordon, Peyton Gordon, Jacqueline Brumback, Aaron Brumback, Leah Brumback, Jeffrey Brumback, Thomas Westbrook Jr., Jack Burnette, Kaylene Burnette-Brumback, Izabel Brumback, Alexzander Brumback, and Rylie Defoe; great-grandchildren: DeJonelle, Gladys, Johna, John Jr., LyRell, Jazzebelle, and Harden; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Louis and Mary Roy; daughters, Sharon and Cheryl; great-granddaughter, Lyssa; siblings: Richard, Lois, Marty, and Mavis; brothers-in-law, Kenneth and Donald; sisters-in-law, Janet and Stella; nieces, Tracey Roy and Paula Robinson; and nephews, Jerome Buckanaga Jr. and Timothy Buckanaga.

A public visitation will be held Wednesday, November 18, 2020 from 4-7 pm at the Anderson Family Funeral Home in Mahnomen.  A private family funeral will be held Thursday, November 19, 2020.  A Celebration of Life will be held in 2021 when she will be inurned at St. Anne's Catholic Cemetery in Naytahwaush.

The funeral service will be recorded and available for viewing shortly after the funeral.

Following all Covid-19 safety protocols, social distancing will be practiced, and all must wear a mask to participate.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers that memorials be donated to St Anne's Catholic Church in Gladys' memory.