Gladys T Keily

Gladys Therese Keily, 80, Tappen, died July 18, 2013, in the St. Alexius Medical Center after a long illness. Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 am Friday, July 26, at St. Paul's Catholic Church, in Tappen, with Rev. Jerome Hunkler officiating. Burial will be in Fisher Cemetery, Tappen. Visitation will be held from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm Thursday, July 25, at the Eastgate-Steele Memorial Chapel in Steele, ND, where a rosary will begin at 7:00 pm. Gladys was born March 24, 1933, to Daniel and Mary Noonan Keily at the family farm north west of Tappen. She spent her childhood on the farm with her six sisters and one brother. Gladys attended school at Tappen and graduated from Tappen High School. She received a scholarship to Valley City Teacher's College and received her certificate to teach country school. Her first job was at a rural school south of Tappen. She mentioned having to chop wood and haul water for the school day. After a year teaching, she moved to Minneapolis and worked for Cargill as a bookkeeper. She recalled having to carry a check for one million dollars to a bank and being terrified that she would lose it somehow. After a year in the big city, Gladys returned to Valley City and obtained a Standard Teaching Certificate, which allowed her to teach in any school. She spent time teaching in Matador, New Town and Conrad, Montana. Later she returned to school and obtained her Bachelor's degree in Education. Gladys moved to Cottage Grove, OR, and taught 32 years in the elementary school system in the Cottage Grove area. She estimated that she taught approximately 900 children in her 39 years of teaching. Her favorite grade to teach was 5th grade. Every summer she would return to North Dakota to help with the haying and other farm tasks. While in Cottage Grove, she had a small hobby farm and raised flowers, fruits, and vegetables. She loved to travel and visited Alaska, Panama, Rome, The Holy Land, parts of Europe, and Ireland. Her companions were her many friends and her dogs. Her most beloved dogs were Shoog and Cappy, who she missed every day after their deaths. Gladys retired and moved back to Tappen in 1999. She, with the help of her brother Dan, family and friends, built a house in Tappen on the site of the former Congregational Church. She loving furnished her house with treasures that she had accumulated throughout the years. Over the past nine years, she struggled with various health issues. March 1, 2009, she received a kidney transplant from a young man who died unexpectedly. Gladys was grateful to his family for their selfless gift, and she loved this man, whom she never met, every day of her remaining life. She was a model of perseverance and patience. Her faith and trust in God was an example to us all. Gladys leaves behind her sisters, Ione Baker, Margaret Keily, Nora Eileen Anderson, and Rosemarie Birrenkott; a brother, Dan Keily; and many nieces and nephews who adored her. She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Viola Currie, Danile Keily-Zent, Catherine Keily, Mae Keily; and an infant brother.

Gladys T Keily

March 24, 1933 - July 18, 2013