Gertrude Glauser

1915 - 2017

Gertrude Glauser was born on February 17, 1915 in Bern, Switzerland to Ernest Glauser and Anna Marti Glauser. She passed away on April 16, 2017, Easter Sunday, in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1928, she and her parents and six siblings immigrated to Salt Lake City, Utah. They sailed on the steamer S.S. Olympic to New York City and passed through Ellis Island. Their new home was at 560 East 1300 South across from Liberty Park where Gertrude lived until 2016 when she moved into the Brookdale Senior Living Center in Salt Lake City at the age of 101.
In June of 1938 Gertrude received a license to teach in the secondary schools of Utah. In December of 1938 she became an American citizen. In 1940 she received a Master of Arts from The University of Utah. She enjoyed studying at the U of U. Throughout her life, Gertrude was a student and enjoyed reading and learning. She had a sharp mind and wit. She loved reading stories to her young nieces and nephews and later to their children.
Gertrude taught German for a short time, but teaching was not for her. She found that working at ZCMI, a department store in Salt Lake City, was more to her liking. She often walked downtown to ZCMI from her home. She worked in display and the China Department and loved colors and patterns. She loved flowers and design and arranging table settings. She loved the creativity of decorating seasonal themes especially Christmas trees and Christmas windows that ZCMI presented each year as a gift to the public. She loved her association with great coworkers. She worked at ZCMI until her retirement at age 76.
Gertrude worked many summers at the JY Ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. She was able to travel to Japan and study flower arranging due to their generosity. She loved Japan and the Iwasa family with whom she lived. She traveled to Europe and Switzerland and did a lot of walking through the countryside with her brother Rudolf, which she said was a very memorable experience. Gertrude loved to walk in Liberty Park and especially in the forests and mountains. She wrote in her obituary notes "in lieu of flowers plant trees in the city."
Gertrude loved volunteer work and the people she worked with and met. Her joy was volunteering at the Garden Club and teaching flower arranging skills to many social groups. She was also a volunteer at the Neighborhood House and the LDS Hospital.
In her notes, Gertrude wrote that she had wonderful, caring, devoted and unselfish parents and loving and caring brothers and sisters and their families. She wrote, "Thanks to one and all that made my life so wonderful."
Gertrude your many nieces and nephews and their families thank you for your love and caring. We love you and will miss you and will remember you and your many kindnesses to each of us. You were wonderful! We will think of you often when we enjoy the beauty of a flower, vibrant colors and the patterns of nature.
Appreciation to Brookdale Senior Living Center and Brighton Hospice for their kind and thoughtful care. Funeral Service: Friday, April 21, 2017 - 11:30 a.m. Viewing: 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Memorial Deseret Mortuary, 36 East 700 South, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Arrangements entrusted to Memorial Deseret Mortuary.