Obituary: Urbaniak, Gladys Hayley
Age 92
She was born on August 29, 1921 on a cotton farm in Des Arc, Arkansas to the late John and Alma Hayley.
Gladys was the sixth of nine brothers and sisters, all of whom she outlived.
After graduating from high school in 1939 Gladys went to Business and Secretarial College in Chillicothe, Mossouri.
From there she moved to Memphis, Tennessee and got a job at the Quartermaster Supply Depot during WWII.
She learned to work on huge IBM machines that she always believed were the precursor to the computer.
She was introduced to the love of her life in Memphis while he was stationed there in the Navy.
On June 24, 1944 she married Raymond J. Urbaniak in Memphis, TN and lived there until December of 1955 when they moved to Spokane, WA with their first four children.
In Spokane they were blessed with three more children.
Gladys was a loving wife and mother.
She worked hard as a homemaker to make sure her children were all fed and clothed and got to school.
She was an excellent seamstress and took part time jobs at fabric stores when her last child started school.
Car travel was always a part of the Urbaniak tradition.
Whether it was short trips around Washington State, medium trips to Yosemite and Mount Rushmore or longer trips to visit family in Wisconsin and Tennessee, Gladys was content to travel.
When her children were grown and Ray had retired they took numerous road trips, one of which was to travel across the country visiting family and friends along the way.
They were gone for ten weeks and traveled 10,000 miles on that particular trip.
In September of 1984 her beloved husband Raymond died leaving a gaping hole in her heart.
Her grandson, Brian Sweeny, also preceded her in death just two months ago.
Gladys is survived by her seven children: Janice Winninghoff (Jack) of Bothell; Donna Sweeny (Kevin) of Spokane; Richard of Seattle; Lee (Sherrie) of Spokane; John of Seattle; Frank of Shoreline`; and Bob Urbaniak (Mary) of Spokane.
She was a grandmother of nine and had six great grandchildren.
Her family affectionately called her GG.
Gladys is in heaven now with God our Heavenly Father, her husband, Ray, her parents, her brothers and sisters and her grandson, Brian.
We all look forward to be with them again.
Mom, you will be forever a part of us and we will miss your Southern grace.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at St Mary’s Catholic Church on Friday, September 13, 2013 at 10am.
Interment will be held afterwards at Holy Cross Cemetery at 12pm.