Gladys "Boots" Starkweather

Gladys “Boots” Starkweather passed away peacefully at home, with her daughter by her side. Gladys was born in Columbus, Wisconsin to the late George and Viola (Siede) Hermann. She spent her formative years on a farm between Columbus and Sun Prairie. At the age of 17, she moved to Madison and her first job was with CUNA Mutual Insurance Society as an assistant mail and file clerk. She met her husband of 52 years, Neal, at a union meeting at the Labor Temple.

When her daughter was 2, she left CUNA Mutual to care for her and worked part-time jobs in various clerical and customer service areas including Waisman Center Research and New York Life Insurance. When her daughter reached high school, Gladys returned to work full-time at CUNA (now America’s Credit Unions). Her favorite job was Customer Service Specialist, Human Resource Development. Wanting to stay connected to people after retirement, she worked at C’s Bakery and Fitgerald’s Restaurant. The joy of her “after retirement” career was working at the State Bar of Wisconsin as a Seminar Coordinator for 15 years.

Gladys was a fighter. At 24, she survived a massive car accident. This resulted in a skull fracture and brain concussion, leaving her in a coma for 2 weeks. She was also a breast cancer survivor. Throughout her cancer journey, we adopted the mantra of positive thinking. She battled COPD and blew bubbles to exercise her lungs early on in her diagnosis.

Please join us on Saturday, February 7, for a visitation at Cress Center, 6021 University Ave. Madison, WI, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm to blow bubbles and share raspberry sodas. The memorial service will follow at 3:00 pm.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Neal, who died on “Positive Thinking Day”. She is survived by her daughter, Kim, son-in-law Doug Ringelstetter, step-daughter Kari (Mike) Ganser, their children, Christopher, Adam and Amy, her sister Doris Waddell and nieces and nephews.

Special thanks go to the staff at Cardinal View Senior Living in Middleton, WI and Brighton Hospice. Thank you for all you did to make Gladys’ last few months happy and for locking the door.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the family or Bethel Lutheran Church.

Please share your memories at www.cressfuneralservice.com

Cress Center

6021 University Ave. Madison

(608) 238-8406