Gladys E. Hemme

GLADYS EVELYN HEMME was born on September 14, 1929 to Lewis and Bethre (Bim) Bakke on the farm in Springwater Township in Rock County. She was baptized in October 1929 and confirmed in 1944. Gladys graduated from Jasper High School in Jasper, Minnesota in 1947. Upon graduation, she moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota and was employed at Morrell’s. On September 10, 1950, Gladys was united in marriage to Arlyn Hemme at her home church, Jasper Evangelical Lutheran Church. Following their marriage, the couple moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where she worked at Lutheran Brotherhood. In 1952, the couple moved to West Virginia. During this time, Gladys worked with the Justice of the Peace in Dunbar, West Virginia and after several years she and Arlyn built their home in Cross Lanes, West Virginia where they raised their children. Gladys was an accomplished artist and she shared her love of painting with a multitude of friends, family and acquaintances through teaching at home and at vrious craft stores. Gladys was particularly skilled in painting with oil and acrylic. She enjoyed a multitude of arts and crafts thrughout her life, even teaching an occasional class in her retirement years in Luverne. While in West Virginia, Gladys and Arlyn were devoted members of St. Paul Lutheran Church where Gladys was active in Circle, Council and taught as a Sunday School teacher. They accumulated a tremendous and loyal circle of friends with whom they shared their life experiences while in West Virginia.

In 1992 Gladys and Arlyn partially retired, spending summer months at Lake Cowdry near Alexandria Minnesota with family. In 1996 they invested in property that would become their full time spring and summer retirement on their beloved Lake Mina also located near Alexandria. During this time Gladys volunteered at the Runestone Museum as a tour guide and interpreter of the various Kensington Runestone exhibits. In 2006, Arlyn and Gladys returned full time to their roots of Rock County and moved to Luverne, and joined Grace Lutheran Church. She and Arlyn continued to visit Lake Mina during warmer months to enjoy time with friends and family. In January 2014, Gladys became a resident at the Mary Jane Brown Home in Luverne, where on Tuesday, July 24, 2018 she died peacefully surrounded by family at the age of 88 years, ten months and ten days.

Gladys is lovingly remembered by her husband, Arlyn of Luverne; four children, Diane of Ladera Ranch, California, Dwight (Audrey) of Chaska, Minnesota, James of Cross Lanes, West Virginia, and Douglas (Jenny) of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; five grandchildren, Adam, Jonathan, Claire, Morgan, and Connor; two siblings, Bernice (Bob) Cragoe of Riverton, Wyoming and Dennis (Rita) Bakke of Alexandria, Minnesota; and one sister-in-law, Marilyn Bakke. She was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Deborah Hemme; two brothers, Lloyd Bakke (died at age 13) and Alan Bakke; and her parents.