Gladys Bery'l Ball's Obituary
Gladys B. Ball
Gladys Bery’l Ball, aged 92, passed away Wednesday, March 11, 2015, in Fayetteville. She was born May 25, 1922, in Red Lodge, Montana, the daughter of John Granville and Mary’l Josephine Luther Russell. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband E.J. Ball, and her son Ken Ball.
She was a nurse in the United States Navy and was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
She grew up on a ranch in Luther, Montana, near Yellowstone Park and graduated from Carbon County High School in Red Lodge, Montana.
After completing her education at Denver General Hospital to become a Registered Nurse, Gladys joined the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps during World War II. She met her future husband, E.J. Ball, on the Naval Air Base in Tillamook, Ore. For the next two years, the couple courted while serving in different parts of the world. Gladys and E.J. were married Jan. 23, 1946, in the chapel at the Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois where she had been transferred to work as an orthopedic surgery nurse.
After the war, the Balls came to Fayetteville for their education, and would stay for more than half a century as they started their family and became part of the fabric of the community. Gladys attend the University of Arkansas for two years and worked as a nurse at the VA Hospital, City Hospital, and other local clinics.
She was actively involved in many organizations.
She volunteered for many causes and worked on benefits to support the establishment of the Richardson School, the North Arkansas Symphony Guild and Hospice.
Gladys was a founding member of the Maple Hills Garden Club, serving as the first president of the club in 1960. She earned the distinction of Master Gardner. Her love for flora inspired her family to establish the Gladys Ball Daffodil Fund to benefit the Botanical Garden Society of Northwest Arkansas.
She was an avid supporter of both the University of Arkansas and the Arkansas Razorbacks. She was a member of the University Women’s Club and active in various fundraising programs within the School of Law.
She was recognized for her lifetime of service and devotion to the Fayetteville community on her 84th birthday, when former Mayor Dan Coody proclaimed May 24, 2006, “Gladys Ball Day.”
She is survived two daughters Karen Ball and husband Tate Wolf, and Kathy Ball and Barry Herzog, of Fayetteville; and three grandchildren Slade Adams, Amanda Adams, and Benjamin Ball; and a host of extended family and friends.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m., Sunday, March 15 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville with Rev. Lowell E. Grisham officiating and a reception to follow in the parish hall.
Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Moore’s Chapel in Fayetteville.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Washington Regional Hospice, 34 W. Colt Square, Suite 1, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72703 or St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 1190, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72702.
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