Gladys Irene Holtry passed away, at the age of 94, in the early morning of July 16, 2008 at the Regional Senior Care facility in Belle Fourche, SD.
Gladys was born April 13, 1914 at Circle, MT. to Ira and Georgia Burge. The family moved to a ranch on Moreau River near Bixby, SD, where Gladys grew up and attended school. Gladys was the oldest of four children.
Gladys met the love of her life while attending high school in Zeona, Bernard (Nard) Holtry and Gladys enjoyed many activities in the area before finally being married on August 24, 1933. Gladys and Nard were blessed with three children, all girls, from their marriage. The oldest Joanne would succumb to pneumonia at the age of 14 in 1948.
The family moved to Belle Fourche later that year.
In Belle Fourche, Gladys worked with Nard at the Texaco gas station they owned on what will be the site of the new Belle Fourche City Hall. The couple later operated and owned the Pioneer Sporting Goods store on 5th Avenue in Belle Fourche.
Gladys was a dedicated church member, rarely if ever missing a service. She and Nard attended the Four Square Gospel Church in Belle Fourche, where she taught Sunday school and was active in other church functions.
Gladys was known for her cooking. She made pies and cakes that were out of this world. When Gladys would bake a cake she always took a small portion of the batter and baked it in a separate pan to make sure the batter was right. There was always a home baked cookie to be found in her freezer. Her cooking skills also showed as she created dishes out of her carefully tended garden. Dinner at Grandma's was always a highlight for her three grandsons and other family members. In the winter the family would gather on Sunday at her house for dinner and all the festivities associated with a great day at grandmas.
Gladys was proud of her roses and flowers in a yard that she and Nard took great pride in tending each and every year.
Her great-grandchildren called her grandma winky, a name the origins of which neither they nor her were sure of.
Her grandsons always looked forward to the many fishing trips she and Nard took them on. There were expeditions to Cook's Lake in WY and to Shade Hill Reservoir, near Lemon, SD. There were always plenty of fish caught on those trips.
One of the favorite family stories about Gladys involves her helping one of her daughters and her son-in-law lamb sheep one spring. She went to move and old pickup that had no brakes. It rolled down the hill from the shed with both doors flopping. About half-way down the hill even the dog in the back of the pickup abandons her, jumping out. No one was hurt and the story always got a good laugh from all involved.
Gladys and Nard's marriage would last 62 years. After Nard passed away Gladys moved to Spearfish, where she lived in the Hickory House Apartments until failing health forced her to move to Regional Senior Care in Belle Fourche.
Gladys is survived by her brother Loren (Bud) Burge of Sturgis, SD, two daughters: Edith and Ed Bischoff of Belle Fourche and Arlene Bowman of Belle Fourche, three grandsons: Roger and Jean Bowman of Belle Fourche, Gary and Paula Bischoff of Colony, WY and Greg Bischoff of Alzada, MT, and seven great grandchildren.
Services will be held on Monday, July 21, at 10 a.m., at the Christian Life Center in Belle Fourche, with the Reverends Ellis Ryherd and Paul Howard officiating. Visitation will be for one hour prior to services. There will be a lunch served following the service at the church. Graveside services will follow the lunch at the Newell Cemetery at approximately 1:30 p.m.