Gladys Marie Brown

Gladys M. Brown, a Port Orchard resident for 11 years, passed away on January 3^rd at the age of 103 years.  She was born in Sisseton, So. Dakota on December 1, 1914, one of eight children born to Ole and Ragna Oas.   She was married to Ralph A. Stempf for 20 years and had 3 daughters, Bonnie Davies, Carol Morrison and Sandra Stempf, who died in 2011.   After divorcing Ralph in 1956 she married William Brown in 1964 and was widowed in 2007.   She lived at Life Care Center in Port Orchard until she passed.

Gladys was very close to her children and grandchildren Denise England (Bill), Stacy Van Vleck (Kevin) and Sheila Morrison (Randy Hagel), Doug Davies (Leslie), Steve Davies and Barbra Cook (Jerone).  She is survived by many great and great great grandchildren, five generations in all.  She has nieces and nephews in the area and many in North Dakota.  She worked as a cook at Tracyton Grade School for many years, also worked in retail at the Francis Shop in Bremerton, J.C. Penney’s in Bremerton and Everett where she was the store detective, a job she loved, getting the bad guys shop lifting.  Bill’s job was in road construction so they lived in many different places, on the pipe line in Valdez, Alaska, in Hawaii, Oregon and many places in Washington, always making a nice home for her and Bill, whether in an apartment or trailer, that was her.  In Valdez they lived in a fifth wheel trailer and a bare minimum lot yet she hunted around until she found some greenery, ferns and weeds and created a cute little spot for them.  She was an excellent cook and one of the most caring and giving women until she no longer could.  We just celebrated her 103^rd birthday December 1, 2017 and she sang Happy Birthday along with the family.   Because of her name, Gladys, some friends nicknamed her “Happy Bottom” and she loved it and was happy all over.  She will be missed and remembered forever and ever.

There will be a private graveside service on Friday, January 12^th, immediate family only.   The family would like to thank the staff at Life Care Center, Port Orchard for their loving care of our Mother.

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