Gladys Lauriel Winters

Gladys Lauriel Winters was born on November 1, 1910, and passed from this life to Heaven on October 4, 2014, at the age of 103. Gladys profoundly influenced the lives of her family and countless friends with boundless love, infinite patience, and Christian grace.She was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Mesquite.She was always a woman of great faith whose prayers flowed daily to God. Services to celebrate Gladys’ long life filled with love and joy will be held at the First United Methodist Church of Mesquite on Wednesday, October 8, 2014. The viewing will be in the sanctuary at 2:00 pm, followed by her Life Celebration at 3:00 pm.Interment services will be held at Trinity Memorial Cemetery in Big Spring, Texas, on Saturday, October 11, at 2:00 pm.All services will handled by New Hope Funeral Home.Please visit the website for more information and family memories, www.newhopefh.com. Gladys is remembered with abundant love by her daughter Lila Kathryn Estes (of Mesquite), granddaughters, Debney Farris and husband Ford (of Burleson),Denise Kutch and husband Karl (of Mesquite), and Dawn Estes and husband David Timmins (of Dallas), great grandchildren, Heather Randolph and husband Justin, Brant Farris and wife LeeAnn, Kelly Keen and husband Justin, Kevin Kutch, and Grayson and Kathryn Timmins, and great-great grandchildren, Mackenzie, Madison, Connor, and Hudson Randolph, Addie and Boston Farris, and Kinsley and Bennett Keen.Gladys is also survived by the many Brewer family members of her brothers and sisters. Gladys grew up in Red River County near Clarksville, one of nine children born to Walter Scott and Minnie Lee Brewer.She cherished many fond memories of living on the farm, riding to town in a horse-drawn buggy, dancing the Charleston, and learning to drive in a Model T Ford.She eloped to marry the love of her life, Elijah W. Winters, at age 19.If Lige were still alive today, they would have been married 84 years. Gladys and Lige lived just outside of Midland for many years on a three-acre farm in Greenwood, Texas. Gladys worked in retail stores in the Midland area selling women’s and children’s clothing for over fifty years.She often was recognized as top salesperson in several large retail stores in the area.She could sell just about anything! Gladys was affectionately called “G” by family and friends. The G stands for Gladys, Grandma, Great Grandma, and Great-Great Grandma.G will be remembered for so very many endearing actions, talents, and sayings.She played baseball and soccer with grandkids and was an accomplished seamstress. She made most of Lila’s clothes, some of the most beautiful of which were actually made from flour sack cloth.She continued sewing for grandchildren and even for great grandchildren, making clothes, blankets, and intricate quilts.No accounting of her life would be complete without mentioning Red - - she loved the color Red!She would hardly wear any other color than Red, and she looked beautiful -- in Red. Those able to attend the any of services can carry on G’s tradition by wearing something Red. G’s cooking was the stuff of legends. She used her favorite iron skillet to make the best corn bread ever tasted by mankind, and fried okra (corn meal breaded, of course). Some of her other creations that were family favorites included two-flavor fudge, fresh-from-the-garden black-eyed peas, Thanksgiving dressing, broccoli and cheese casserole, chicken-fried steak with cream gravy, lemon icebox pie, pumpkin pie (her “secret” recipe), pecan pie, and waffles with melted butter and white Karo corn syrup.When she cooked, G put sugar in her vegetables – always. She put salt on watermelon and peaches, sometimes ate fresh jalapenos and whole onions, and enjoyed bacon every day that she could. She fancied Chick-fil-A and Hershey’s chocolate bars.Every morning at around 10:00, she usually had a hankerin’ for a “little sup” of Coke with her peanut butter and saltine cracker sandwiches. She was hardly sick a day in her life. She will be remembered for her “YooHoo!” when someone called to her from another part of the house, and her “Come see me when you can,” as she blew a kiss to those who were leaving.G also had a competitive side, usually beating everyone at Dominoes and “42.”When she did, an impish grin would immediately appear on her face. G walked almost every day of her life until she was well over 100, and she never wanted her picture taken before she had a chance to put on lipstick. G was an avid fan of the Dallas Mavericks and the Texas Rangers.She could often be found watching their games, providing enthusiastically loud coaching advice from her easy chair. Her family takes comfort in knowing that her life was full of grace, joy, and laughter; and generations to come will celebrate her vitality.