Gloria Fay Vermeulen

Gloria Fay (Mutchler) Vermeulen passed away on Thursday, February 8, 2024. Gloria celebrated her 88th birthday last fall. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, mentor, and friend. She was a kind and compassionate woman who was loved by all who had the honor of knowing her. She loved people, animals, learning, music, and played alto saxophone from age 12 to 88. She loved to laugh. It’s difficult to put a life so rich and full into a few paragraphs so the following are just the highlights.

Gloria grew up in Lynden, next door to her grandparents. In 1952, when she was 17 years old, she married Gerrit Vermeulen and moved to Alaska. They eventually settled in Delta Junction and had two children, Byron and Barbara.

Gloria and Gerrit were divorced in 1968 and she moved back to Lynden with her children to the house her grandparents had lived in. Her first job as a single mom was running the snack bar at the Lynden Roller Skating Rink. She later worked as a beauty adviser at Merle Norman Cosmetics and eventually bought the store. In the early 80s, she sold the store, went back to school, and received her MSW so she could work as a Drug and Alcohol Counselor at the Olympic Treatment Center. In the early 90s, she went back to school again. This time she obtained her CNA and worked at St. Francis Nursing Home. When her mom needed care, she quit her job and cared for her at home for six years. When her mom passed away in 1998, she bought a house in Bellingham suitable for having renters. In the following years she had people from many cultural backgrounds and a variety of countries share her home with her and she loved every minute of it.

In 2006, Gloria had quadruple bypass surgery and we almost lost her, but she rallied and worked very hard to recover. Her nephew and his family moved into her house and cared for her needs for the next five years. After that, she decided it was time to move into an assisted living facility and chose Merrill Gardens (now Cordata Court), where she spent the next 10 years. She was very happy there and enjoyed participating in activities and spending time with the other residents. Following her time there, she lived at Sapphire at Woodway for the past two-and-a-half years. On Monday, February 5th, Gloria was transported to PeaceHealth Whatcom Hospice House and passed away peacefully in her sleep after only three days. She will be missed very much and will always be remembered.

Gloria is survived by her daughter, Barbara Fuller (Mark) of Bellingham; son Byron Vermeulen of Ranier, OR; Neva Countryman (Byron’s ex-wife) of Ferndale; grandchildren Marshall Fuller (Susan) of Everett, Gavin Fuller (Doug) of Bellingham, BeaJay Fellers (Sean Park) of Ferndale, and Byron Mutchler (Kjersti) of Blaine; great-grandchildren Samantha Fellers of Ferndale, James Fellers of Ferndale, Rayanne Mutchler of Jamestown, ND, Kiera Mutchler of Ferndale, Nola Fuller, and her mother Lynna Fuller of Bellingham; and numerous cousins in the US and Canada.

A private celebration of Gloria’s life will be held this summer.