GLADYS ROSE WILSON

WILSON, GLADYS ROSE: It is with great sadness and much love that we announce the passing of Gladys Rose Wilson, of Edmonton, Alberta, on May 12, 2024, at the age of eighty-seven years. Our mother Gladys was born June 21, 1936, in Vegreville, Alberta. She grew up in Vegreville, Alberta and when she finished grade eleven, she left with a girlfriend to move to Vancouver, British Columbia to begin a new life. She worked at various places such as the Highway Traffic Board and the Bureau of Vital Statistics.When working in Vancouver in 1958 she met our father Wesley Wayne Wilson. After a brief courtship, they married on May 30, 1959, and left Canada for an around the world trip for their honeymoon. They spent a number of years overseas staying for extended periods of time in Australia and South Africa. They then returned to Canada and took up residence in Vancouver, B.C. where they had their first son, Samuel Wesley Wilson in 1962. Dad, through his job at IBM was transferred to Regina for a short time where I, their daughter was born the following year, in 1963. We lived in numerous places through our growing up years, such as Vancouver twice, Regina, Edmonton, Victoria, Kamloops and Kelowna. During our growing up years she was a wonderful mother and housewife looking after the needs of her family. She enjoyed playing bridge, contributed much to the building of the family cabin on Mabel Lake and picked many apples in the orchard behind our house in Kelowna. She canned much fruit, made applesauce and apple juice and in vain tried to get us all to like one of her favorite meats, liver. She didn't succeed much at that endeavor. In 1986, Mom rededicated her life to the Lord and began attending a church in Westbank, B.C. For the rest of her life, while she was physically able, she stayed a faithful church attender. She served the Lord for several years at her church in Westbank by volunteering in their food distribution center for the needy called Robes, Loaves and fishes. She also took into her home several pregnant young girls through an unwed mothers' program to provide a stable place for them to live during their pregnancies. In the years following, she also did some travelling for her Lord. She went to YWAM in Hawaii and did mission trips to Singapore, Hong Kong, China, South Korea, and the Philippines. She as well travelled as a companion with her friend, Judy Shaw through Women's Aglow, to Ireland to minister and support Judy and spoke at several of the meetings that Judy was ministering at. She also spent much time helping with her grandchildren in Kelowna babysitting, picking them up from school, and taking them to various appointments. She made many trips up to Alberta and was a much- loved fixture in her granddaughters' lives there as well. During this time, she additionally worked. For quite a few years she was employed in housekeeping at Kelowna general hospital and when that became too difficult and she wanted a change, she also worked as a secretary in several different departments there. She was secretary to the chaplain at the hospital for a time as well as in a physio department. She eventually retired and in 2019 when it became too difficult for her to continue living alone in Kelowna, she moved up to Edmonton, and moved into a senior's lodge in south Edmonton. One of the great desires she had was to see the people she loved, come to know Jesus as she did. She found much comfort in the fact that Jesus wants so very much to forgive us and give us a place in His heaven. So much so that He came to earth and gave His life on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. All we have to do is accept His gift and receive Him as our Savior, it's just that simple. When we all come to the end of our lives, as we all will, we will realize that all our achievements, our wealth, accomplishments and our good deeds won't earn us a place in heaven. The only way into heaven is a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. Gladys is survived by her daughter Wendy (Jerry) Fehr, along with her grand-daughter Bethany (James), Finley and Owen Carson and grand-daughter, Brittany (Tim), Hudson, Liam, Jackson and Ashton Jones. She is also survived by her son Wes (Cheryl) Wilson, along with grand-daughter Stephanie (Evangelos), Nicolas, and Evangeline Gnissios, her grand-son Mark (Chelsea), Annie, Sarah, Lucy and Ruth Wilson, and grand-daughter Joanna (Conner), Makenna, and Sophia Watson. She is, as well, survived by her sisters Theresa Bernard, Elizabeth (Cliff) Badger, and Hazel (Wayne) Krywolt, and many nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her parents, Roy and Mabel Wilson, her brothers, Cliff, Lloyd, and Jim, as well as her sisters, Francis and Doris, brothers-in-law Donald Bernard and Robert Pierce, and sister-in-law Vera Wilson. A private family gathering for Gladys will be held in Edmonton, Alberta in the near future.