Gloria Joyce Hulme

Gloria Joyce Madsen was born on September 26, 1928, in Salt Lake City, to Lucile Ballard Madsen and Richard W. Madsen, Jr. She shared her childhood years with a brother and three sisters. She graduated from BYU with a degree in Elementary Education, and taught first grade for a couple years.

She met Harold B. Hulme, a young OB/GYN doctor, on a blind date. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1951. A couple years later, they moved to Boise.

While Harold cared for patients and delivered babies (9600+ in Boise), Gloria nurtured her children, and served in her family, church, and community.

Gloria was a lifelong devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served in pretty much every calling in Primary, Young Women and Relief Society. As a senior citizen, she served a full-time proselyting mission in Little Rock, Arkansas. After returning home, she served for many years as a worker in the Boise Idaho Temple.

Gloria passed away peacefully at home on October 2, 2025 – six days past her 97th birthday. She is survived by her children Steve (and Robin) Hulme, Jared (and Valerie) Hulme, John (and Michelle) Hulme, Heather (and Kelly) Grange, Heidi (and Steve) Weed, all of the Boise area, 28 grandchildren, and 73-and-counting great grandchildren. Her life was enriched by many, many life-long friends, along her mortal pathway.

She was preceded by her parents and siblings, Harold, three children – David (infant), Susan, and Margi, and by her beloved granddaughter Brennan. "Oh, what songs of the heart" they must be singing together, up yonder!

A family graveside service will be held on Thursday, October 9. On Saturday, October 11, all are invited to come by and share a memory of Gloria, say hello to her family, and enjoy some light refreshments. Please join us, and don't dress up fancy! 7pm to 8pm, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6711 W Northview St.

In lieu of flowers, do this! We are confident Gloria would want you to extend some kindness to God's children in your circle. Hug your kids, or grandkids, or spouse, or a dear friend! Take some cookies or a loaf of bread (anonymously – even better!) to a neighbor. Rake somebody's leaves. Scratch somebody's itch. Strengthen a strained relationship. Forgive a grudge you have been hosting. Be a peacemaker. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." – Our Savior, Jesus Christ

LIFE SKETCH

Gloria Joyce Madsen was born into royalty September 26, 1928, in Salt Lake City. She was welcomed home by her parents, Richard William and Lucile, her brother Dick and sisters Pat and Mary. Sister Donna came along later.

"Royalty?" you ask. Her great grandfather, Frances Armstrong, had served as mayor of Salt Lake City in the late 1800s, and her beloved grandfather, Melvin J. Ballard, was serving as an apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Grandpa Ballard, in addition to her parents, was instrumental in setting her on a path of devotion to our Savior, Jesus Christ, that she would follow for all of her days.

Gloria enjoyed an idyllic childhood in a house surrounded by acres of lawns, gardens, and woods, and with Big Cottonwood Creek running through the back yard. (A generation later, her children's summer vacation choice was always to visit Grandma and Grandpa and their magical house in the woods… and nearby uncles and aunts and cousins.)

She loved her family, but was particularly close to her only brother, Dick. When she was still quite young, "Jody" and Dick ventured off to climb nearby Mount Olympus together without announcing their plans. Her recollection was that she slid back down most of the way on her backside, and Dick got grounded.

Her parents stressed education, and appreciating and benefiting from fine literature, music, and art. Good manners were expected. She was a refined child and young lady.

Gloria was a good student; she excelled in reading and writing, and art. She graduated from Granite High School. She gave the University of Utah a try and didn't care for it; her father suggested she try out BYU, an hour south… and she loved BYU. She graduated with a degree in Elementary Education.

Following graduation, she taught in SLC public schools (first grade) for a couple years. She loved her students; she felt compassion for those who struggled in their studies or had difficult situations at home. She recalled that she spent more than she earned, decorating and equipping her classroom and turning it into a warm, inviting place.

Around that same time, her brother-in-law Homer introduced her to a young, single OB/GYN doctor – Harold Hulme – who was teaching at the U of Utah Medical School and delivering babies. She agreed to go on a date; they went to see "Harvey," starring Jimmy Stewart. Legend has it that she didn't care much for Harold – but when she found out her mom didn't care much for him either, in an act of rebellion she saw him again… and again and again. She came to love him (as did her mother). They were married on April 2, 1951, in the Salt Lake Temple. The ceremony was performed by Apostle Spencer W. Kimball.

Harold and Gloria set up housekeeping in a modest little white house in Salt Lake City. 13 months after they married, they welcomed a beautiful baby boy – David Ballard Hulme. Tragically, just days after David was born, he died suddenly of a hidden cerebral hemorrhage. Life is like that; everybody experiences joy, nobody escapes sorrow.

They made a life-altering decision; they decided to move to a different place and get a fresh start. They narrowed their choice down to Boise and Spokane… and Boise won out.

Harold became partners in an OB/GYN practice with Max D. Gudmundsen. Harold and Gloria rented a little apartment on Irene Street, a couple blocks off Harrison Boulevard, while they searched for a house to buy. For a short time, Gloria had a job as a telephone operator. Gloria later recollected that an LDS meetinghouse on Hill Road was just being finished. In that era, Church members contributed money – and muscle and sweat and craftsmanship – to new church buildings. Mom painted radiators, and they attended the newly organized Boise Fourth Ward in that building. They found a house that was being built in a new foothills subdivision called Aldape Heights, at the north end of Reserve Street. That house became the center of the Hulme Family Universe.

Fortunately, they gave parenting another try, and they welcomed in quick order Steve, Susan, Jared, John, Heather, and Heidi. This will sound like fiction, but it's fact – when Heidi was born (the sixth child, no twins) Steve was a month shy of his seventh birthday! A number of years later, those parents and kids welcomed one more "straggler" child – Margi. Gloria embraced motherhood, and devoted her time and effort and passion to giving those kids the best upbringing she could offer. And, like in most households with lots of kids, the young'uns were best of friends and worthy sparring partners.

Gloria's children will always remember her love of the scriptures, and the stories and teachings they contain. Many happy hours were devoted to her eagerly sharing those awesome stories, as well as her knowledge and her testimony. Like the young Lamanite warriors of the Book of Mormon, her children were "taught by their mother, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed… the words of their mother, saying: We do not doubt our mother knew it."

The family attended, and were deeply involved with, the old Boise First Ward, which met at 3rd and Main Streets. They were an "every Sunday" family. (Although church attendance was vigorously debated on those occasional Sunday afternoons when it was Christmas, or when "Wizard of Oz" was being broadcast on TV!) Gloria always had a meaningful calling in Primary, Young Women, Relief Society. When they needed some nice scenery for a road show, or decorations for a Gold and Green Ball, Gloria was on the short list of willing-and-able workers. In those days, Primary (the organization for kids 3-11) took place on Wednesday afternoons. When it was over, and dinnertime was drawing near, more often than not Gloria would pack the family station wagon with a dozen or more kids, and spend 45 minutes dropping them off in the East End of town… all the way out to Barber Dam! (Ross and Norma's dad was the caretaker out there.) So dinner came late, on Wednesday.

The neighborhood was the most wonderful place to grow up! I believe we knew every family that lived within a mile of our house. Often during the summer months, the kids (particularly the boys) would announce, "Mom, I'm going exploring." If we walked down the street past one neighbor's house, we encountered a dirt path through the foxtails and sagebrush, and occasional lizards and snakes and jackrabbits, to Eagle Rock… to Fort Boise and Cottonwood Canyon… and points beyond. As far as we knew, it was wide-open spaces, all the way to the Arctic Circle! Mom would tell us, "Be careful, and come home by dinner time!"

Gloria was tolerant of the critters - snakes, lizards, frogs, toads, etc. – that her children would introduce to the family. Pets – dogs, cats, bunnies, turtles, a horse for a year or two, a squirrel monkey (!!) were omnipresent in the household. (The monkey was bought from a critter emporium in Florida, that advertised in "Boy's Life" Magazine. It turned out to be a not-so-good idea.)

Every year, the family got a summer pass to the Natatorium. 5 or 6 days a week, we'd spend an hour or two working on our swimming skills and our sunburns. Often Gloria would pick up a few neighborhood kids and other friends, on the way… and we'd sometimes get treated to a 5-cent "softie" at the Avenue Inn afterwards.

Halloween was a big deal, because Gloria loved to make costumes for her kids. Often they were a specific theme. If you were lucky enough to get a visit from her decked-out kids, that would be your abiding Halloween memory. She continued the tradition, although somewhat less consistently, with her grandkids. She handcrafted elaborate "Three Amigos" costumes for three young cousins – legendary!

The kids attended, in succession, Roosevelt Elementary, East Jr. High, and Boise High. Gloria was forever involved in PTA… carnivals… plays… holiday programs… Room Mothering. Her kids remember monumental projects – creating backdrops for plays, sewing elaborate costumes, coaching little actors and actresses, rehearsing choruses. She was never one to hide her candle under a bushel, and her talents and willing spirit blessed her neighborhood and community. Of course, during her down time she was reading with her kids, helping with homework, typing term papers (remember those days?) and supporting her children in all their righteous endeavors. Friends of her children were always warmly welcomed in her home, and likewise benefited from her goodness and generosity. It is a tolerant, loving mother who will let her son's "garage band" set up in her living room! (The house didn't have a garage.)

Gloria's family went on outings! Summer vacation trips – when it was left up to the kids, the vote was unanimous in favor of visiting Grandma and Grandpa and our Salt Lake City relatives. But sometimes Harold or Gloria exercised veto power – and we had several adventures at nearby places like McCall, Garden Valley, Cascade, Placerville… or a little more distant, like Bear Lake (Harold's "stomping ground.") In 1966 the family went on a driving vacation that included Las Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles and Disneyland, and the Bay Area. Gloria made matching green-plaid button-up shirts for the crew. Lifetime memories… and we got better acquainted with a whole 'nother set of grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins who lived around San Francisco and San Jose.

As the Church expanded in Boise, a new meetinghouse was built on Warm Springs Avenue, at the east end of town, and the Hulme family became charter members of the fabled Boise 25th Ward. We missed seeing our First Ward friends every Sunday, but we treasure our fond memories of "gathering Israel" in our shiny new building, and ward.

Gloria enjoyed a couple other "enthusiasms," to a lesser degree.

She and Harold were casually involved in Republican politics… but enough that when Barry Goldwater was running for president in 1964, and made a campaign stop in Boise, she was asked to assemble a nice backdrop for the speech he gave at the Boise Junior College gymnasium. (Recently she's been troubled by the rancorous polarization in politics… but never too troubled, because she always knew the Lord is ultimately in charge.)

She was a big sports fan! Her first favorite team was the Red Sox; her brother Dick attended Harvard and was a Sox fan, so of course Gloria was too, from a young age. Other favorite teams she adopted over the years: the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors… the San Francisco 49ers… the Boise State Broncos (of course)… but most of all, her beloved BYU Cougars! Rain or shine, she lived and died with the Cougars. She loved watching almost any sporting event on TV – the Olympics… team sports… tennis… even golf! She was a student of the games, and would often keep a running tally of game stats, in between cheering or groaning.

Thanks in large part to Gloria's determination, all of her children graduated from high school and all but one have college degrees. (Steve is a dropout – cementing his cred as the underachiever of the group.) Her boys are all Eagle Scouts, and served full-time church missions. All of her children have taken music lessons and participated in musical endeavors. She did her best to instill the same love of good literature, music, and art – and a love for the Lord Jesus Christ – that she enjoyed as a child.

Gloria served for decades as a faithful and devoted visiting teacher, who delighted in "on-on-one" ministering, and was unfailingly generous with her talents and resources. A former bishop, Sid Sullivan, says, "She always loved me and asked how she could support me. She always found ways to give, especially to kids. She was a beacon of the Light of Christ and you could see it in her when she entered a room."

One recipient of her generous service recalls (from more than 50 years ago): "We needed to make a trip for work, but had a two year old and a two month old. Your mom offered to keep these babies for us for two days and nights so we could go. I would have trusted no one else but her to take my precious babies. Gloria met me with a smile at the door as I handed them off to her and still had a smile on her face when I picked them up. We really needed that little get away and her love, kindness, and service meant so much to us!"

In the late '70s, Gloria's children started finding life-partners of their own, and starting their own families. Gloria was thrilled when she got to welcome and spoil grandbabies – it started a whole new chapter in her life. (If truth be told, it was probably a better chapter than the one she'd just completed – less effort, more reward!) She approved of every one of her daughters and sons-in-law, too. They have all been "tender mercies" in her life.

Harold retired in 1986, and a year or two later, the two of them made another life-changing decision. They were "empty nesters" by that time, and decided to sell the beloved domicile, and move to Provo. (Sisters and brothers had retired there, and encouraged it, thinking they would enjoy the abundant cultural and religious activities in the area.) Perhaps it was "too much, too soon" – Harold adjusting from a very busy and time-consuming professional life and a major change in the household situation. There were conflicts and disagreements – and they ended up getting divorced. The Provo house was sold, and they packed up and eventually moved back – separately – to Boise, where they had put down roots. The family still residing in Boise welcomed them gladly. They were still cordial to one another and we continued to have general family togetherness… but it wasn't quite the same. Harold passed away in 1998.

Gloria dove into "grandmotherhood" head-first! From their birth on up, she engaged with and supported her beloved grandchildren. Granddaughter Hollie: "She had a way of making you feel like she saw the best version of you. At least I always thought she had a perception of me that was far more rose-colored than the reality. But it also could be inspirational in making me feel like I could do better to be the person my grandma seemed to think I was. (I suspect she was perhaps not overly credulous, but crazy like a fox in that way.)" Occasionally she would interrupt her routine by leaving for a couple weeks to go see some beautiful corner of the world, but often she would take members of her family along.

In 1993, she was called to serve a one-year full-time proselyting church mission to Little Rock, Arkansas. It was hard work, but she loved it! She wrote home every week. A couple particularly memorable messages home – at one point she said, "For my entire life, I've been dependent on 'borrowed light.'" (She felt that her faith was too dependent on the faith of her circle of beloved friends; she doubled her efforts to strengthen her own faith… which nobody ever doubted to begin with.) In another letter she reported that her mission president had invited all the missionaries to offer prayers of gratitude, not petitioning the Lord for anything. She was surprised at how challenging that was – we all plead to the Lord to bless us and our loved ones, but it's even more important to offer gratitude! When she completed her honorable mission, in "Gloria fashion," she gave her car to a sister in Arkansas who was struggling in many ways including transportation, and replaced it when she got back to Boise. Surely Gloria's devotion, and courage to serve, influenced numerous among her grandchildren to serve full-time missions.

In 1999, Gloria gifted her family with a gift that none of the recipients will ever forget. She sponsored a multi-day "church history tour" for a busload of children and grandchildren, and some dear friends who were experienced tour guides. Everybody flew to New York City where we boarded a big shiny bus, and for more than a week we traveled through New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri, stopping along the way to see and learn about places where monumental happenings took place… plus some other historic and entertainment venues. We saw the restored cabin where the Church was first organized in Pennsylvania… we stood in Joseph Smith's childhood home in New York and walked reverently through the "Sacred Grove," where he spoke face-to-face with God the Father and His Beloved Son… we toured the Newell K. Whitney Store in Ohio and sang in the Kirtland Temple… we spent a day in Nauvoo, where the saints built up the largest city in Illinois out of a mosquito-infested swamp on the Mississippi… we stood in the room where Joseph and his brother Hyrum drew their last breaths as they were swarmed by an angry mob. Except perhaps for her family, Gloria's most profound devotion was to our Savior, Jesus Christ and His church – if her family didn't know that before, as we concluded that wonderful time together, we certainly knew afterwards!

As Gloria entered the twenty-first century, she continued to dote on her family. They were always warmly welcomed in her home, and she would visit them whenever she was invited. She answered the call to work at the Boise Temple, where she served faithfully and joyfully for many years.

More recently… the Pandemic of 2020 was hard on her. After ninety years of joyful engagement… she was isolated out of concern for her health. It took an emotional and mental toll, and she really never recovered from that. As the months and years went by, she became less mobile and more fragile. Pandemic restrictions eventually eased, and she got to engage with her family once again, but it was mostly indoors and with increasingly limited physical activity. Her children arranged a schedule so she would get regular visits; however her daughter Heather, who lived just one back yard away and who inherited Gloria's benevolent heart, became her primary care-giver. Gloria made it clear that she wanted to continue living in her own apartment rather than an institutional care facility; her children did their very best to make that happen, but with the help that she needed. She retained her cheerful, optimistic disposition to the very end, even though her strength declined to where she needed around-the-clock attention for the last month or so. As it turned out, her son Jared and his bride, Valerie, were on duty in the early hours of October 2, 2025, when she drew her last breath and graduated her mortal journey - with highest honors.

She will be sorely missed, until we're back together at Jesus' feet. As our recently-deceased and beloved prophet, Russell M. Nelson, so eloquently explained, "We can't fully appreciate joyful reunions later without tearful separations now. The only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life."