Gladys Louise Alexander

Born Gladys Louise Campbell September 28, 1923 in Mena, Arkansas to Herbert Eugene Campbell and Kitty Addison, the third of six children; June, Eugene, Warren, Coolidge, and Anne. She is survived by three siblings, June Vermillion, Gene (Eugene) Campbell, Anne Forbes.

Her three children are Katherine married to Stephen Haferkamp, Andrew married to Kelly, and Wayne married to Katie Data. Her grandchildren are Jennifer married to Norman Hubbard, Seth Curtis married to Darcy, Nick Alexander married to Tristen, Suni Alexander, Chris Alexander, Janae married to Matthew Smith, Tess married to Jordan Skyles, Anthony Data, Todd Haferkamp, and Wesley Haferkamp. Greatgrandchildren are Alexis, Gavin, Tegen, and Aaron.

Gladys grew up in a rural area miles from Mena during the Great Depression. Her parents owned and operated the local grocery store and later farmed. High School was too far a distance from her home to attend. To attend high school, she moved in with an elderly lady in Mena and worked for her in exchange for room and board while attending school. She says she almost starved to death during that time because the elderly lady didn’t give her much food. In school, she enjoyed math and participating in team sports, especially basketball. She graduated high school in Mena.

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She was a WWII veteran, enlisting two days before D Day. She served in the Women's Army Corp and Women's Air Force for almost eight years as a teletype and cryptographic operator. Her duty stations included the U.S. and Germany. She attained the rank of Sergeant.

While serving in Germany, she met Aleck George Alexander, also in the Air Force, and they were married March 29, 1951. They had three children. They were married 52 years until Aleck died in 2003.

During her husbands military career, they were frequently transferred and lived in various locations: Germany, Massachusetts, Washington, Arkansas, Alaska, California. After his military retirement in 1963, they remained in California. In 1969 they moved to Shelton, Washington, and in 1972 settled at Scott Lake, for their remaining years.

Her career included military, housewife, electronics assembly, retail, and partner in their shoe repair business in downtown Olympia.

She had a love for gardening and spent much of her days working in her yard, flower gardens, vegetable and herb gardens, and fruit trees. She shared apples from her trees with neighbors and made apply jelly for gifts. For many years, the flowers in her front yard were a welcome greeting to neighbors returning to their homes in Scott Lake. She was active in the Scott Lake Garden Club and the Olympia Senior Center craft groups. She enjoyed feeding the birds and squirrels every day. She made her own bread. She loved dogs and for over 50 years always had a small dog for a companion. After her dog Cleo died in 2015, she felt lonely without her companion.

She was a child of the Great Depression and as a result was forever financially thrifty. Her thriftiness extended to other areas such as recycling rain water, composting, and reusing various household materials. She came from a simple life and carried that philosophy until the end.

Arrangements under the direction of Mills & Mills Funeral Home and Memorial Park, Tumwater, WA.