Gladis Stanislaus

Gladis O. Stanislaus, age 84, of Waupun, WI passed on to her eternal home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on the morning of January 9, 2024 while living at the Christian Home’s Homestead Memory Care facility. She was born April 25, 1939 in Hoopeston, IL, the fifth of nine children born to John T. and Evelyn (Schenk) Roe, and spent much of her growing up years living near Clay City, IL where her parents resided for many years.

Gladis married Bob Burgess from the Orchardville/Xenia, IL area. They resided in Flora, IL where she worked at the Shoe Factory and Bob worked at Valley Steel during their early years in Flora. Eventually, they bought a farm in the Flora area where they raised their four children, one daughter and three sons, and built a chicken egg laying operation in addition to cash crop farming. During the ensuing years, no matter what the family endeavors were, Gladis was there to support and help her family in any way she could. She enjoyed gardening, canning and freezing food, sewing, including making clothes for her children when they were preschool age through elementary school, and designed a bridal dress and veil she made for her daughter’s wedding. Sometime later, she established her own in-home child care service after she and Bob sold the farm and moved with their family to a home on the outskirts of Flora. Because of her great love of children, she continued this work for many years, making many lasting friendships with the parents and children of the families she cared for. 

Her eldest sister, Florence, was the first Christian in the family and she shared the Gospel with Gladis, who was a young adult at the time. This led to Gladis accepting the work of Christ on the Cross for her sins and trusting in Jesus as her Lord and Savior. As a result, she learned to love God’s Word, began attending church where she became involved helping in the nursery and whatever tasks she could assist with. Gladis began praying for her parents as well as each of her brothers and sisters and their families to become Christians. She continued praying for them throughout her life. Eventually over the years, her mother and each of her brothers and sisters, one by one, became Christians. She always loved each member of her family dearly and wanted the best for them. She loved, cared, and prayed for everyone she knew. 

In addition to sewing, gardening, and canning, Gladis greatly enjoyed taking daily walks outdoors while enjoying the beauty of nature, crocheting baby blankets, doilies, and afghans, knitting, reading, cooking and baking, and helping others.  And she loved her children and their spouses, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren she was blessed with before Alzheimer’s disease prevented her from getting to meet and know all of her great-grandkids. 

After Bob and Gladis divorced, she moved to Fond du Lac, WI where her daughter, son-in-law, and their first child had recently moved.  She started in-home child care again, pouring her love into the kids she cared for and their parents. At the church she attended in Fond du Lac with her family, she met Eugene Stanislaus, who was a widower, and they eventually married and moved to South Dakota where they cared for Eugene’s elderly mother during the last years of her life. Eventually, they moved to Manchester, MO, where they resided in the same neighborhood as two of Gladis' sons and their families, living in that place several years until their failing health led to selling their home and moving to a few different care facilities near their families throughout the remainder of their lives.

Gladis and Gene left a legacy of helping to provide for children living in poverty through Compassion International, helping to support various Christian missionaries, and taking a special interest in the lives of unborn babies by helping to support pro-life crisis pregnancy organizations that assist women and men in understanding the enormous value of each life from the womb on and help equip them through counseling, support, training and provision to become parents.

Gladis is survived by her four children, a daughter, Sheila (Kevin) Bice of Brandon, WI, and three sons, Rodger Burgess of St. Louis, MO, Kent (Julie) Burgess of Manchester, MO, Michael (Laura) Burgess of Eureka, MO; fourteen grandchildren, Rachel Bice, Nathan Bice, Joshua (Erica) Bice, Daniel Bice (fiancée, Becky McElroy), Matthew (Camila) Bice, Samuel Bice, Sarah (Erich) Beyersdorf, Anna Bice, Amie (Tyler) Milner, Ellie(Nathan) Hall, Samantha Burgess, Timothy Burgess, Jesse Burgess (fiancée, Alyssa Holmsley), Faith Burgess; seven great-grandchildren; three stepchildren, a stepdaughter, Vickie (Vicente) Molina, of Chapala, Mexico, two stepsons, Steve (Sara) Stanislaus of Chapala, Mexico, Michael Stanislaus and Melinda Poepple of Seattle, WA , a stepdaughter-in-law, Gwen Stanislaus; nine stepgrandchildren, Brenden (Brandy) Stanislaus, Krista Moran, Kayla Stanislaus, Stacia Morgan, Mindy Mayer, Emily Stanislaus and Cristina Gutierrez, Peter (Alexis) Stanislaus, Jessica Stanislaus, Linsey Stanislaus; twelve step-great-grandchildren, and one step-great-great grandchild. She is also survived by three brothers and sisters-in-law, Thomas (Carol) Roe of Salem, IL, Kenneth (Christine) Roe of Hope Mills, NC, and Jerry (Karla) Roe of Spring Hill, TN, and one sister and brother-in-law, Dixie (Duane) Denton of Sevierville, TN; a half-sister-in-law, Judy Allen of Orchardville, IL; and numerous nieces and nephews. 

Gladis was preceded in death by her husband, Eugene Stanislaus; her parents, John T. and Evelyn Roe; a stepson, Douglas, Stanislaus ; a brother, John Roe and wife, Nancy; a sister, Florence Griffith and husband, Forest;  a brother, Robert Roe and wife, Bonnie; a sister, Delores Michels and husband, Mike; and her first husband, Bob Burgess. 

The family wishes to express sincere thanks to those who cared so well for Gladis throughout the years, including the staff at Prairie Ridge in Waupun, Wisconsin, the staff at Butterfield Place in Fort Smith, AR,  and especially the staff at the Christian Home’s Homestead Memory Care Facility in Waupun where Gladis lived the last 6 ½ years of her life, as well as the Hospice Health Care Team through SSM Health medical care providers during the last 3 ½  years for all their kind and loving, excellent care of Gladis, and their gracious kindness to her family. 

Memorial service arrangements are being planned for early spring and will be shared at a later date. 

“The way Grandma B lives inspires me to be a better person. She works herself like a horse…The reason behind her motivation to work is that Grandma B loves serving people. That inspires me to want to be like Grandma B. She doesn’t do it for herself. She does it for the people around her. My grandma is unselfish and gives of herself to people. She gives people her time, help, and friendship…Grandma B is one of the best role models a grandchild could ever have. She is a beautiful lady with a beautiful heart. I admire her and am proud to call her my grandma.” (youngest granddaughter, Anna Bice)