Gladys Uretta Bergmann

Gladys Uretta Bergmann passed away peacefully in her home in Sudden Valley on January 18, 2023 with her two daughters holding her hands and dear friend and son-in-law nearby. She was 99 years old. Gladys was predeceased by her husband, her parents, her brother, and all her in-laws. She was known as “Gladys” to longtime friends, “Mom” to close neighbors and younger friends, “Aunt Gladys” to nieces and nephews, and “GG Gladys” to her 4-year-old great-grandson. Her death has left a huge hole in all of our lives.

Gladys was born on September 18, 1923 in West Orange, New Jersey. Her family moved to Connecticut in the 1930s, where Gladys graduated from high school in Westport. She met and fell in love with Joseph Bergmann while in high school and became one of many WWII wartime brides in 1941. She and Joe were married for 59 years until his death in 2000.

While Joe was in the South Pacific during the war, Gladys moved with her parents to Litchfield, Connecticut. When Joe returned in 1945, they chose to settle there and raise their two daughters. Their travel trailer trips to Vermont gave them much joy and relaxation. In 1980, after Joe retired from a banking career, he and Gladys moved to Brooksville, Florida. There they enjoyed playing golf and expanded their circle of friends through church and local community activities.

Gladys was an independent, clear speaking, strong-willed woman. She lived life with a loving spirit, a soft voice, and a determination to share her love for Jesus Christ with others. She was a two-time breast cancer survivor. She never complained while enduring years of pain from arthritis and a gradual decline in eyesight. Her mind remained sharp to the very end.

She enjoyed all sorts of activities and hobbies. She was a decorated 22 caliber rifle marksman in high school, an equestrian, worked as a switchboard operator, and helped make airplane seats during WWII. She was very skilled at creating beautiful crafting projects - sewing, crewel, crocheting, knitting, and needlepoint. She especially enjoyed being a troop leader in the Girl Scouts and serving as President of the Northwest Connecticut Girl Scout Council for almost 40 years.

She loved trying new things. In 1999 she got her 1st Apple computer so she could surf the web, do jigsaw puzzles, and communicate with friends via email. At the age of 89, she traveled out of the country for the first time to vacation in a remote seaside village in Mexico with her daughter and son-in-law. She loved “hot” salsa, closely followed nearly every Seattle Mariners’ baseball game for years, and stayed well-informed about national politics and current affairs.

At 85 years old, Gladys moved from Florida to Bellingham, WA to be close to her daughter, Penny, and son-in-law. We all marveled at the courage it took to make such a move at her age! Gladys loved watching sunsets, golfers, and birds from her condo. She had a smile that captured your attention and a friendly, easy way of engaging others in conversations. She had a kind, light-hearted presence with a sense of humor that would catch you off guard and put a smile on your face. She was proud of her 2001 Prius with its cool “racing” stripe. Over the years she adored her two little poodles and very much spoiled her two senior cats. Her loving, positive spirit led everyone who met her to want to spend time with her and do things for her.

Gladys is survived by her daughter, Arlinda Domanski of Naugatuck, CT, her daughter Penny (husband Mac) Carter, of Bellingham, WA, her granddaughter and great-grandson in Santa Barbara, many nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, great-grandnieces and great-grandnephews on the east coast in Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, and Connecticut, and a host of others whose lives she touched. We will all miss her greatly.

If you feel moved to acknowledge Gladys’ life in some way, we know she was especially touched by the guidance, compassion, and comfort provided by her home hospice nurse during the last few months of her life. Gladys also believed in and actively supported the service provided to our community by the Lighthouse Mission in Bellingham. We are sure Gladys would appreciate contributions to either Whatcom Hospice www.whatcomhospice.org or the Lighthouse Mission www.thelighthousemission.org .

A private service will be held later this year when Gladys is laid to rest at Milton Cemetery in Litchfield, Connecticut.