Gladys Folkmann, 91 of Newhall, passed away April 18, 2024 at the Vinton Lutheran Home.  Funeral services will be 10:30 am. April 22, 2024, at St. John Lutheran Church, Newhall with the Rev. Nick Palmer officiating.  Interment will be at St. John Cemetery near Newhall. Visitation will be held at the church, from 2 to 5 pm. on April 21, 2024.

Gladys Marie Rammelsberg was born January 29, 1933 rural Newhall at the home of her parents Earl and Emma (Krug) Rammelsberg.  She was baptized March 5, 1933 and confirmed                                                     May 29, 1949, at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church in Atkins, Iowa.  A graduate from Newhall High School in 1950, she was class valedictorian and treasurer.  After high school she lived in Cedar Rapids where she worked on the manufacturing line at Collins Radio until November 1954.  Additionally during high school and before her marriage Gladys worked as a bookkeeper (part time - mostly weekends) for Grovert Motor Company in Newhall.

Gladys was united in marriage to Richard Frederick Folkmann on December 8, 1954, at St. John Lutheran Church in Newhall.  Initially they lived on the Folkmann farm near South Amana.  In March of 1955 they moved to rural Newhall to the farm homesteaded by Gladys great-grandfather Hugo Rammelsberg in 1854.  This farm was proudly recognized as a Century Farm in 1976 and a Heritage Farm in 2006.  Richard and Gladys lived and farmed near Newhall, Iowa until 2012 when both became residents of the Vinton Lutheran Home.

Richard and Gladys met during a dance at Armar Ballroom in Marion.  After the kids grew up, they spent many Sunday nights floating on the dance floors of DanceMor, Ponderosa, and Prairiemoon ballrooms to the waltzes, foxtrots, and polkas of the Dave Dighton and Kenny Hofer bands.  During March Madness Gladys would faithfully fill out the NCAA mens and womens basketball brackets results with final scores of each game.  While a resident of VLH she enjoyed  playing bingo and completing word search puzzles.

Despite vowing in her younger days to NOT become a farm wife, Gladys made it her life's work.  While she did the cooking, baking, washing, cleaning, gardening etc as most wives do, she was also very active in the farm duties as well.  These included daily chores of milking cows, feeding, watering and bedding the animals (pigs, chickens, cattle, and cats).  Outside work included mowing the grass, walking the bean field, baling the hay, trapping gophers, squirrels, and rabbits; plus hauling the grain (oats, beans, corn).

The calendar hanging in the kitchen documented events of her life.  Gladys recorded information about the weather (amounts of rain, snow, fog, cold, hot, or just a nice day), field work (plowing, planting, harvesting of crops), appointments (doctors, dentists, haircuts, oil changes), events attended (reunions, weddings, funerals, dances), vacations (Branson, LA, Hawaii, Colorado), trips (Newhall, Atkins, Vinton, Cedar Rapids for parts, groceries, or banking), family health (colds, flu, surgery), garden produce (pints of corn, beans, asparagus, strawberries, cherries, grapes), visitors (relatives, friends, sales reps),  stock calves births (bull or heifer), varmints caught or shot, watering of plants, hauling manure, washing of clothes, electricity off, water softened and equipment repairs.   Always Gladys noted when she babysat her precious granddaughter Katie; then as the years passed, information regarding the school and other events involving Katie.

While Richard and Dean were named Iowa Master Pork Producers in 1979, Gladys was just as involved as they in the day to day farm operations.  She received the 1994 Benton County Porkette Pork Award which reads "In Recognition of Your Outstanding Contributions to Your Pork Enterprise."  In 2006 and 2007 she was awarded several ribbons at the Benton County Fair for flowers she grew in her spacious garden.  Gladys was recognized in 2017 as a St John's Servant by her church.

Gladys expressed her kind and giving heart in various ways.  Often she shared her garden produce with neighbors, pastors, teachers and Central Lutheran School.  Her oven was used to bake cookies, cakes and pies for many church and community events.  RAGBRI riders loved her rhubarb-raspberry pie served in the Newhall city park.  When her parents were residents of the Virginia Gay Annex, Gladys was called the "flower lady" for all the floral bouquets she brought to share from her garden.  Most recently, as a resident of the Vinton Lutheran Home, she assisted others by finding the correct page during the sing-a-long or right square when playing bingo.

Gladys is survived by her two children: son Dean (Julie) Folkmann of Newhall and daughter Diane Folkmann of Cedar Rapids; granddaughter Katelyn Folkmann and fiance Brice Hodnefield; sister Verla Rammelsberg of Cedar Rapids; and numerous nephews and nieces.  She was preceded in death by her parents (1988) and husband (2014), brother Merle at birth (1931), sister Shirley Gewecke (1984); and numerous brother in-laws and sister in-laws

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Vinton Lutheran Home or St. John Lutheran Church in Newhall.  The family would like to thank the entire staffs of the Vinton Lutheran Home and Hospice Compassus for their excellent care of Gladys and support of the family.

Gladys confirmation verse: Psalm 37:4

Delight thyself in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.