I’m flying back to New York today to attend the funeral of Gladys Graig.<\/p>\n
I met Gladys about 17 years ago, shortly before my sister Barbara married Gladys’ son Jeffrey.<\/p>\n
Gladys was born in 1930 in Brooklyn, Kings Co., New York, the daughter of Norwegian immigrants Telef Henricksen and Gerda Sofie Larsen, both from Aust-Adger, Norway .\u00a0 She married Vernon Arthur Graig in 1948 in Summit, Schoharie Co., New York.<\/p>\n
Gladys is survived by her brother Bernhard; three sons, Gary, Thomas, and Jeffrey; four grandsons; and two granddaughters.<\/p>\n
She was predeceased by her husband Vernon in 2001, and by her sister Elsie Andresen in 2004.<\/p>\n
After her husband’s death, Gladys moved to Arizona, but she visited her family in New York every summer .\u00a0 This year, she arrived in Albany in early July, and I was able to spend a few hours with her before I had to fly back to California at the end of my vacation .\u00a0 Shortly before she was due to return to Arizona, Gladys was diagnosed with cancer .\u00a0 She spent\u00c2\u00a0the last\u00c2\u00a0few weeks of her life surrounded by her family and loved ones.<\/p>\n
I knew Gladys as a kind and\u00c2\u00a0thoughtful woman .\u00a0 Knowing I was studying Polish, she sent me a copy of the Polish National Anthem along with a note that read “The next time I see you, I expect you to sing this for me”.<\/p>\n
I will miss her.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I’m flying back to New York today to attend the funeral of Gladys Graig. I met Gladys about 17 years ago, shortly before my sister Barbara married Gladys’ son Jeffrey. Gladys was born in 1930 in Brooklyn, Kings Co., New … Continue reading