Gladys A.

Klickman

Klickman
Gladys A.
Gladys A. Klickman passed away peacefully and gently on Saturday, September 13, 1914 in the late afternoon. She had been on hospice at home since July 1st with end stage dementia. Despite weak legs, she had no diseases or growths to the rest of her strong body.
Gladys was born at home in Oak Harbor, OH, to William and Anna (Schwendinger) Arndt, on August 20, 1918. She was the last of four children: Louis, Henry and Hilda, and grew up well-provided for on their large agricultural farm. After graduating from Oak Harbor High School, she completed studies at Davis Business College in Toledo and worked as a bookkeeper at a mattress company and nut company in downtown Toledo. She attended St. Paul's Lutheran Church on Courthouse Square where she met her husband, Otto W. Klickman, also from Oak Harbor, and where they married on August 11, 1943. While Otto was in the armed services (domestically), she worked and lived at a boarding house with her first son, William (1944). After the war, and birth of son, Richard (1946) and daughter Jane (1951), they lived on Nevada Street until building a home in Oregon, OH. There they thrived with a huge vegetable and flower garden, fruit trees, and lors of room for welcome gatherings of the large extended family and many friends from church and work.

Gladys was an excellent homemaker, filling the house with antiques, beautiful objects, music and great food. She loved to cook and feed people; canning and freezing produce from the garden and fixing bountiful meals and baking lots of delicious desserts, often including German dishes such as potato pancakes.

When the kids were in school, she returned to work part time as a secretary for a local insurance agency and then many years as a nurse's aide at the Lutheran Old Folks Home. After retiring, she continued to volunteer there at the gift shop and the weekly "cookie bake". She loved being part of that community and giving of her talents.

Of all of Gladys' many activities her spiritual and social center was St. Paul's Church. She was an inspiring and motivational force from Sunday School, Women's Circle (Mary& Martha), sponsoring families, St. Paul's Youth, and Camp Hemlock, to serving as the first woman president in the early 1990's. It was her work at Camp Hemlock in Hillsdale, MI that is especially remembered: how she cooked in the kitchen for many summers, feeding everyone and often training many campers to cook and befriending many into her camp kitchen. And she also cooked many dinners, lunches, and receptions for church holidays and celebrations.

Gladys and Otto always welcomed all family and friends to their home and backyard. There were many festive gathering for holidays, summertime, and playing pinochle. They enjoyed a card club of Otto's Sun Oil Co. coworkers in the 60's and later a very sociable card club of St. Paul's members. Together they loved to travel, visiting friends and relatives, seeing historical sights and just driving through the countryside, or twice taking a tour of Europe. Gladys greatly missed Otto when he passed on September 10, 1994, but continued to enjoy volunteering at "The Home", keeping the house with her son, Richard, and helping to raise her grandsons, Brian and Eric, in Ft. Wayne, IN with parents, Bill and Janet.

Gladys spent her final days at home cared for by all her children, including Jane, returned from California, It was a blessing and honor to help such an unforgettable woman review her life and remember all the people she touched in so many ways. She lived an exemplary life of goodness, caring and generosity to one and all.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, September 21, 2014 at 2 p.m. at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 428 N. Erie St., Toledo, OH.
The family suggests memorial contributions to the church.
Online condolences may be left for the family at www.fothdorfmeyer.com