Gladys Tolle

Gladys came into this world on June 6th, 1932, born in San Antonio, Texas, to proud parents Ola Elizabeth Stallcup and Irvin Youngblood.

She was raised on a farm, in Whitsett, Texas with two brothers, Wilbur and R. C., and four sisters, Faye, Ola, Bettie and Coye Mac. It was a hard scrabble existence but there was always love and support from their mother and strength and direction from their father. After relocating to San Antonio, she graduated from Burbank High School in 1950.

In 1951, Gladys met the love of her life, Ralph Wesley Tolle, also of San Antonio. They were wed on May 15th of the same year.

When she married Ralph, the Marine Corps came with the package. He served faithfully, often away on duty for long stretches of time, and Gladys provided a safe and supportive homelife for her family until he retired over twenty years later.

In 1952, their love was made more complete with the birth of their first son, Ronald Wesley, on March 26th. In 1957, as their life together continued, Gladys and Ralph welcomed their second son, David Lee, on June 11th. In 1959, on August 24th, not to be outdone by those who preceded her, Deborah Ruth joined the Tolle family.

Then, in 1963, on August 4th, the family reached completion with the welcoming of their third son, Jonathan. As her own children got a little older, Gladys became a licensed, in-home daycare provider and kept children to help bring in money while Ralph worked and finished his degree. In 1972, the family packed up and relocated to Ottawa, Illinois. The years in Ottawa were happy ones, focusing on career and family. Gladys dedicated herself to study and received an associate's degree, from Illinois Valley Community College. She subsequently continued her studies and graduated with a bachelor's degree in education from Northern Illinois University, in 1977. After graduating, Gladys sought and found work at Grand Ridge Middle School, in Grand Ridge, Illinois. There she found success teaching art and language arts to middle school students. Her compassion and empathy made her a cherished favorite among the teachers and students at Grand Ridge Middle School.

Not long after relocating to Ottawa, Gladys and Ralph found a loving place of worship and service at Grace Baptist Church.

While at Grace Baptist, she accompanied her husband as they began teaching English and sharing their loving witness in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China. Committed to the mission of teaching and sharing the Gospel of Love, in 1989, Gladys and Ralph gratefully continued their service with a second tour in Baoding, China. In 1992, shortly after relocating to Edmond, Oklahoma, they both joined the congregation at Edmond’s First Baptist Church. Gladys and Ralph both felt a strong pull to work with people from other countries and soon found a place of service with the International Department. They later continued their work at the church with older/senior adults. In 1993, they made their final missionary journey to China, serving in Anqing. A year later, in 1995, Gladys started teaching English as a Second Language along with Ralph, on the campus at the University of Central Oklahoma.

In addition to that she served as a sounding board to Ralph as he prepared weekly bible lessons. Gladys was very creative and enjoyed spending time sewing and quilting. Her sense of humor shined when she occasionally took on minor writing projects.

In 2015, Gladys and Ralph fully retired and spent some time traveling. They visited Montana, seeing Old Faithful, Garden of the Gods in Colorado, the Black Hills, and many of our historical battlefields and monuments scattered across the U.S. In 2020, she relaxed into life with her family, reading and discussing favorite books, doing Bible study, watching movies and spending quality time with her kids.

On January 3rd of 2026, while at home, Gladys, surrounded by her children passed into the waiting arms of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit lavished the gift of service on Gladys, and she worked very hard her entire life to share that gift with others. She loved her family deeply and dearly, but she also loved others in a way that made them feel like family. It is that family, all over the world, who are grieving her loss now. Gladys never failed to demonstrate compassion, wit, faithfulness, humor and, above all, love. One of the ways that she expressed that love for her family was by providing a stable, supportive and comfortable home. She was fiercely loyal and was guided by a strong faith in her Lord and Savior. It was her love and compassion that drove her to share her witness with the world.While now absent from those who so love her, we rejoice that Gladys is with her Lord and Savior and has been reunited with her husband, Ralph, her mother, her father, her sisters and brothers, and all of those that she had been longing to see again.Her sensitive spirit and kind touch will never be forgotten.

Gladys is survived by her younger sister, Coye Mac Calhoun and her children, Ronald Wesley, David Lee, Deborah Ruth Eckroat, and Jonathan Tolle.

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers for the Tolle Family!

A visitation will be held at Baggerley Funeral Home, located at 930 South Broadway, Edmond, OK, 73034, on January 11, 2026, from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

A Celebration of Life will take place at the same venue on January 12, 2026, starting at 10:00 am.