Gladys L. Otterson's Obituary
Gladys Lucille (Karlstrand) Otterson
October 27, 1929 – August 29, 2021
Gladys was born in 1929, the youngest of three children for Oscar and Lillian (Anderson) Karlstrand. She grew up in the countryside in Proctor, Minnesota, with her two older brothers, Len and Ray. Her father, in addition to her maternal grandparents, had immigrated from Sweden to seek new futures in America, and Gladys and her brothers were proud of their Swedish ancestry. As a young girl, Gladys was known for her intelligence, her kind and compassionate nature, and her love for animals and music. She learned to play the piano, and raised baby goats. After graduating from Denfeld High School in 1947, she enrolled at St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing, in Duluth, then graduated and started working as a nurse. She met James Otterson in 1950 after he returned home from his service in the Navy during WWII. They married on November 23, 1951. James and Gladys started a family together, and had five wonderful children over a span of nine years. They moved to Janesville, Wisconsin, in 1962.
Gladys worked as a labor and delivery nurse at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth, then at Mercy Hospital in Janesville for the rest of her career. She helped to deliver hundreds and hundreds of babies over the years, and used her quiet strength and optimistic nature to help support mothers as they welcomed new life into the world. Gladys continued to play piano throughout her life, and loved music. She and her husband attended performances at the Janesville Beloit Symphony for 25 years. Her family benefited from her home cooking and baking, and she was known for making delicious apple bread, krumkake, and spritz Swedish butter cookies at Christmas.
Gladys and her family became serious University of Wisconsin Badger fans. She and her family have been season ticket holders for Badger basketball and football for 25 years, and her adult children continue this fun tradition. Gladys also loved traveling to new places, and particularly enjoyed trips to Arizona, Hawaii, Florida, Nashville, Seattle, Vancouver Island, and the World’s Fair in Montreal. During retirement, she reveled in quiet mornings with a good cup of coffee and the newspaper, and relaxing to classical music with her dog, Mitzi by her side.
Gladys and James celebrated their families’ Scandinavian heritage, and were active with the Sons of Norway. They were fortunate to travel to Sweden and Norway twice, and met extended family members. The Ottersons were long-time members of First Lutheran Church in Janesville, and Gladys was active in volunteer programs at the church, including collecting and distributing personal care products for vulnerable families overseas.
Gladys passed peacefully at age 91 with her loving husband of 70 years by her side, and was surrounded by her children and grandchildren.
She is predeceased by her parents, Oscar and Lillian Karlstrand, older brother Leonard and wife Marjorie Karlstrand; older brother Raymond Karlstrand; and nephew Robert Karlstrand. She is survived by her husband, James Wesley Otterson; daughter Carey Allen (Dalton); son James R. Otterson; daughter Gale Otterson; daughter Susan Otterson (Greg Smith); and daughter Ruth Bachmeier (Scott). She is also survived by sister-in-law Edyth Karlstrand; nephew Jan Karlstrand; and nephew Jeff Karlstrand. She has seven grand-daughters; Olivia Kim (Andrew); Annabelle Doran (Erik); Rachel Baker (Daniel); Sarah Lovell (Luke); Keely Smith; Emma Smith; and Heidi Bachmeier. She also has great-grandchildren; Logan Kim; Delaney Kim; Evangeline Baker; Astrid Doran; and baby girl Lovell (expected in 2022).
Gladys was a loving and compassionate daughter, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was laid to rest in a small service at the Central Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in King, Wisconsin on September 2, 2021. Her graceful nature, quiet humor, and unwavering positive spirit will be greatly missed by her loyal friends and family. The Holly Funeral Home of Waupaca assisted the family with arrangements.
“Now abides faith, hope, love… but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)
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