Gladys Patten

Gladys Patten, 88, Bismarck, died November 21, 2004, at a Bismarck care center. Funeral services will be Tuesday at 2:00 PM at St. Vincent's Care Center Chapel in Bismarck with Rev. Lisa Ahlness officiating. Burial will be held at a later date. There will be no public visitation. Gladys was born on October 2, 1916, the daughter of Andrew and Nancy Olson Locken, on the family farm north of Plaza, North Dakota, in Ward County. She was the fifth of ten children. Gladys was baptized and confirmed at the Spring Valley Lutheran Church in Plaza and attended schools in the area. She married Raymond Patten on March 2, 1938. Together they raised six children. Gladys moved to Minot in 1971 and worked at the American Legion. She later moved to Bismarck where she made her final home. Gladys was employed by Bismarck State College where she was food service manager for several years. After retiring, she helped raise two of her closest grandchildren, Shayna and Adam Dietrich, while working several part-time jobs including Crepes on Broadway, caregiver through Social Services, and Seven Seas. Gladys was a beloved mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. She had a loving heart and was a caregiver to all those around her. She had a talent of making a little go a long way. She will be remembered as a person who enjoyed life, loved to dance, was an exceptional cook, and loved to sew and crochet. Gladys resided at St. Vincent's Care Center in Bismarck since 2002 where she was very well cared for by a loving and caring staff. Gladys is dearly loved and will be deeply missed by family, friends, and countless of other whom she opened her heart and home to, but never will be forgotten. She is survived by her five children and stepchildren, Robert Vonnie Patten, Doris DuWayne Braaflat, all of Plaza, North Dakota, Gordon Connie Patten of Mesa, Arizona, Judy Dietrich of Bismarck, and Gary Laura Patten of El Paso, Texas; twenty-one grandchildren; forty-two great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; one sister, Alma Johnson of Minot; and one brother Leon Shirley Locken of Caldwell, Idaho. She was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Elvin, Edwin, Engvald, Orville, and Omar; her sisters, Mable Dyke and Florence Rowe; and her stepdaughter, Phyllis Westgard of Plaza, North Dakota. Gladys, we send our endless love with you on your journey home, and thank you for making this world a brighter place. Peace to you!

Gladys Patten

October 2, 1916 - November 21, 2004