Born to Grover Cleveland and Pearl Lena Liesman, Gladys was one of 9 children in a busy farm household. When the family went anywhere, everyone had a specific place to sit in the vehicle so they all would fit. Nicknames were popular in the family, known as Boob (Alvin), Fritz (Paul), Bud (Fern), Fizzle (Wesley), Fuzzy (Gladys), twins Fat and Dorie (Dorothy and Doris), Bob (Robert), and Loie (Lois). The family moved several times around central Illinois before relocating to Missouri after Gladys was grown. Gladys talked about sometimes leaving one house to go to school in the morning and going home to a different house in the afternoon! She also recalled Fizzle driving the younger kids to school in a buckboard wagon. Monopoly was a favorite game, and no one was ever lonely.

After her high school graduation, Gladys worked packing rations for the soldiers in World War II before marrying Raymond Steinhour in December of 1946. The couple settled first in Middletown, then in rural Greenview. They were close with Raymond’s parents, Frank and Gladys Steinhour, throughout their lives. Son Terry was born in 1948, with Wayne following in 1954. Gladys ran her own busy farm household with love, pride, and lots of home baked pie. She maintained close ties with her siblings throughout her life, and enjoyed many a Liesman reunion. She and Raymond often visited with family and friends, including sister Fat and lifelong friends Merle and Vera Armintrout. Terry farmed alongside his dad and grandpa, and started his own family with Phyllis Rinehart in 1973. Grandsons Michael and Mark were the pride and joy of their “Ba”. Wayne took off for school before marrying Sarah Greenhalgh in 1978. After boys of her own and two grandsons, Gladys was thrilled to welcome granddaughters Ruth and Liz to the family. Grandson Mark married Chris Meluch in 2005, with great grandkids Caidence, Katlyn, Aiden, and Evan adding more joy to the family.  In spite of losing Raymond in 1999 and Terry in 2009, Gladys carried on with special grace—she taught us all how to love and live life to the fullest. 

Gladys’s favorite pass-times included sewing, crafting, baking, flower gardening, and travel. She especially loved making matching dresses for Ruth and Liz and their dolls. Her many crafting endeavors included wheat weaving, hooked rug wall hangings, macrame, and crochet. She was an expert baker whose specialties included pie, sweet rolls, and cookies. Monster cookies were a special favorite among the kids and grandkids! The whole family also enjoyed her and Raymond’s tradition of ice cream making on Christmas Eve (ice cream was one of her favorites). Her house and yard were always neat as a pin, with beautiful flowers for all seasons.

Gladys and Raymond enjoyed many trips to Missouri to visit with family there, spending lots of time with sister Loie and her husband Bobby Duke. They also took a memorable trip to Florida to visit family and friends, and visited Wayne as he moved around to New York, Wyoming, Massachusetts, and finally Michigan. In her later years, Gladys also enjoyed traveling with her sister Loie. Highlights included trips to Washington DC, Texas, and Alaska. Gladys and Loie also traveled with Wayne and his family to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Yellowstone, and a Western trip to Moab, the Grand Canyon, and Bryce Canyon. One of her last trips was to Arizona to visit her great-grandkids and their parents Mark and Chris. From whitewater rafting in Yellowstone to glacier flying in Alaska, Gladys was always up for adventure!

Gladys left her home in the country and moved to Christian Village in Lincoln, IL following Terry’s death in 2009. In her new home, she enjoyed long walks in the courtyard and the nightly game of dominoes in the dining room. A few years later, Gladys relocated near Wayne in Michigan. She made her home at Bickford of Okemos Assisted Living, where her good nature and sense of humor made her a favorite among her neighbors and caregivers. With the excellent care of her Bickford family and Care Team hospice, Gladys spent her last years living in dignity and peace.