Gladys Fessler, 84, of Ottawa passed away Thursday, January 18, 2018 at OSF St. Francis Medical Center.
Funeral Ceremony will be held at 2:30 pm Monday, January 22, 2018 at First Baptist Church with Pastor Deming Ralph officiating. Visitation will be 11:00 am to 2:00 pm Monday, prior to services, at Ottawa Funeral Home. Burial will be in Oakwood Memorial Park.
Gladys was born September 25, 1933 in Blackfork, Arkansas to Early and Willie (Cline) Churchill. She married Samuel Keith Fessler on December 12, 1953 in Heavener, Oklahoma and made her home with him in Marseilles at first and then in Ottawa where she resided for 61 years. She was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. She was a devoted member of First Baptist Church of Ottawa since 1965 and a member of Oladine Wood Guild. There wasn’t a child that knew her that didn’t call her mom or grandma.
She is survived by her daughters, Janet (Kenneth) Hampson, Kathy (Jeff) Donahue, Vicki (Johnny) Rodgers; sisters, Lois (James) Smedley, three grandchildren, Jeremy (Amanda) Fessler, Jesse (Andrea) Donahue, and Karla (Matt) Goetsch; eight great grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
She is preceded in death by her husband; her son, Eric Fessler; her parents; three brothers, Clinton Churchill, Clifford and Bobby both in infancy; and four sisters, Violet (Louie) Adair, Irene (Woodrow) Tedder, Marjorie McGuffin, and Wilma (Wilburn) Prince.
Pallbearers will be Kenneth Hampson, Jeff Donahue, Johnny Rodgers, Jeremy Fessler, Jesse Donahue, and Matt Goetsch.
Honorary pallbearer will be Timothy Bayer Jr.
Memorials may be directed to her family.
Gladys has been laid to rest in the Garden of Psalms.