Gladys Marie Cline

Birthdate and Place: September 12, 1900; at home, in Warren County

Death and Location (Burial Site): November 19, 1973; Delong, IL; (Meridian Cemetery)

Noteworthy information snippets

  • Religious: active Christian
  • Physical: throat issues, had tailbone removed (hurt it roller skating until they finally removed it), cancer sufferer – colon (first) and then liver
  • Great baker and cook
  • Had trouble getting/staying asleep
  • Not athletic (though not many women were in this generation)

Went to Western State Teachers College in Macomb the summer of 1920;

She taught school (and lived with people in the community where she taught;) some people she lived with were Dick & Cora Nicely – they became good friends.

She fixed a hot breakfast for Samuel L. every morning, a hot lunch (potatoes and gravy and meat) and then a big dinner.  Sam was not a sandwich eater nor did he like leftovers.  Had biscuits & gravy every Sunday morning – she “must have made a million biscuits.”

She started making bread when she was in high school because her mom’s hands were affected by arthritis.  For a school class she did a speech on how to make rolls and brought in samples – Sam was impressed!

On occasion in the winter the family would make donuts, deep frying them and then putting them in a bag with powdered sugar to get them covered.

Had fried chicken regularly on Sunday for dinner around 2 and then there was no evening meal.

She often made rolls (dinner and cinnamon) on Saturday.

She taught the children’s Sunday School at church – often was also the Superintendent of the Sunday School.

A very caring person with a lot of friends;  participated in a regular book club; was regularly taking food to other people;

Loved to garden, as did Samuel L.  Gave away sweet corn by the dozen and anytime people visited they went home with produce.

She and her Aunt Wanda were extremely close – they talked on the phone nearly every day.

When they went away on trips, the kids would stay with Aunt Wanda and Uncle Guy (and sometimes Aunt Berniece.)

The church women would do the chicken pie fundraiser once a year – each woman would do a chicken pie and they would fix potatoes, gravy, salad and then various pie for dessert.  They could hold 60 in the room and would serve in shifts – 60 at a time and at least 2 shifts.

She was very opposed to any strong drink (alcohol).

Sam one time asked her to go to an auction for the old parsonage and told her “don’t let ’em steal it!”  She bought the property and Sam thought it was too high a price – guess their definitions of “steal it” were different?  (they were able to sell it without a loss.)

Here is the diary she kept for a lot of her years, with Samuel Leslie covering the years from 1935-1939 (perhaps she was particularly busy those years with 3 young girls and an older son? 🙂 )

Reviewed/additions by:  Marilyn Long,