Mrs. Gladys Evelyn McLaughlin's Obituary
Gladys Evelyn Magers McLaughlin was born in Hopkins County, Texas on April 23, 1929 to Mr. and Mrs. Horace Magers. Gladys was the sixth of seven siblings. Gladys spoke very fondly of the love between her brothers and sisters and how they worked together doing their chores on the family farm. As a youth while attending Vacation Bible School, Gladys accepted Jesus as her Savior and Lord. She was baptized in a small pond on their family farm by her pastor.
After graduating from Hopkins County High School, Gladys and her sister Mary moved to Dallas to start their careers. While working in a dress manufacturing company, a coworker introduced Gladys to her son Dean McLaughlin. That introduction led to a short courtship followed by a marriage which lasted 71 years until Dean went home to be with the Lord. Gladys and Dean had four boys, Wayne, Billy, Larry, and Roy. Gladys was a stay-at-home mom who nurtured her four boys in a godly home that was filled with love.
Gladys and Dean soon after their marriage joined Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, a small Missionary Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. Gladys devoted her life to teaching Sunday School lessons to four- and five-year-old boys and girls. Gladys would gladly recount to you how one of her kids would come up to her and she would wrap her arm around the child’s waist and patiently teach that morning’s lesson to an inquisitive young child. After Mt. Calvary Baptist Church dissolved, Gladys and Dean joined Calvary Baptist Church in Mesquite, Texas.
Gladys’ life was characterized by faithfulness, first to the Lord and then to her family. From the days of growing up on the family farm, where Christian principles were taught by her Momma and Daddy to a long-lasting marriage with her husband Dean, and then to serving her Lord and Savior, she evidenced a life of faithfulness.
Gladys went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on January 26, 2023. Gladys was preceded in death by her husband Dean and her youngest son Roy. Gladys is survived by her children Wayne, Billy, and Larry and wife Judy, and daughter-in-law Neva, nine grandchildren, and 21 great grandchildren.
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