Gladys Martha Elfstrom, 96, went to be with her Lord & Savior on Monday, July 21, 2014, at the Kittson Memorial Health Care Center in Hallock, Mn. Gladys Sjulson was born on February 26, 1918, at the family home in McKinley Township. She was the oldest of 5 children born to Sivert & Cora Sjulson. Her mother was a country school teacher and her family moved frequently. During her early years, Gladys lived on the McKinley home place with her parents and Grandpa Per Sjulson. During the school year she lived with Great Aunt Nellie in Pelican Rapids, and with her Grandma Julia & Grandpa Charlie Evenson in Thief River, where she graduated from Thief River Falls High School in 1936. After graduation she stayed with the family to help take care of her younger siblings while her mother was off teaching school. Then in 1941, Gladys attended Dakota Business College in Fargo, North Dakota. After graduating from business school she worked for L.B. Hartz Store in Thief River Falls. In 1942, she was persuaded by her brother Paul to move to San Diego where she found a job working for Safeway as a bookkeeper. During the five years she lived in San Diego, she was a hostess at the First Baptist Church's fellowship center, welcoming servicemen and other young people, and introducing them to the others who spent time there. After the war, serviceman Harris Elfstrom of Lancaster visited Gladys in San Diego. Harris had been Gladys' childhood sweetheart and had also corresponded with her during the war. After spending several months courting Gladys in San Diego, he proposed to her and brought her back to Lancaster where they were married on June 26, 1948. They settled down in a farm north of Lancaster where Harris raised turkeys and farmed, while Gladys was a homemaker and mother of 3 children; Iris, Ember and Angie. Gladys also was a 4-H leader and Sunday School teacher, a youth leader and was active in the Lancaster Covenant Ladies Aid. After the girls were in high school, Gladys worked as a teacher's aide for the Lancaster School for many years. She loved teaching art to the grade school children and created all kinds of art projects at home. She won an award for one of her pen and ink drawings from the Institute of Agriculture Rural Art Shop. It was displayed at the Swedish Institute of Art in Minneapolis for one month. Gladys is survived by her children, Iris (Ed) Shoemaker of Oak Ridge, LA, Ember (Keith) Kapitan of Eden Prairie, MN, Angie Elfstrom (Steve Kovacic), Eden Prairie, MN, four grandchildren, Noel & Heather Robertson, Kyle & Kris Kapitan, four great grandchildren, Brooke Robertson, Connor Grady, Kaden & Kellan Kapitan, one great great grandson, Harris Robertson. She is also survived by her three brothers, Paul (Lorraine) Sjulson, Harry (Vivian) Sjulson, and Robert (Jo) Sjulson and one sister, Goldie (Billie) Nelson. Gladys was preceded in death by her husband, Harris, and her parents, Sivert & Cora Sjulson. Funeral services are scheduled for Saturday, July 26, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. in Lancaster Covenant Church. Interment will be in Riverview Memorial Garden Cemetery, Lancaster. Visitation will be held at the church on Saturday for one hour prior to the funeral service.Rev. Galen Nordin, presiding; special music will be provided by Van Pankratz and children, Arden Peterson, Faye Potrament and Galen Nordin. Casket bearers will be Noel Robertson, Kyle Kapitan, Connor Grady, Kris Kapitan, Ed Shoemaker, Steve Kovacic and Keith Kapitan.