Sylvia Helper Gladhill, 88, passed away the evening of September 21st while asleep in her apartment at Bishop Place in Pullman, Washington. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm. on Monday, October 5, 2015 at the Bishop Place Independent Living Social Hall with Rev. Wes Howell officiating. A reception will follow.

Sylvia was born November 7th, 1926 in Henry, Illinois, the first child of Walter Champ Helper and Veva Leone Helper. She attended Henry High School and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1947. She taught high school English in Ottawa, Illinois after graduation. While at the University of Illinois, she had met Theodore (Ted) William Gladhill, a returning veteran of World War II, and they were married August 21, 1949 in Princeton, Illinois after he completed his Bachelor of Arts using the GI Bill. Their first son, Theodore Jr., was born while Theodore Sr. was serving in the Korean War, having been called up from the Army Reserve.

Not long after returning from Korea, Ted decided to make the Army a career and thus started the couple on a life that Sylvia had not imagined while growing up on an Illinois farm during the Depression. The family first moved to Fort Riley, Kansas, where daughter, Mary Elizabeth Gladhill, was born, then to Heidelberg, Germany, where second son, Richard Walter Gladhill, was born. Sergeant Gladhill was subsequently assigned to Decatur, Illinois; Poitiers, France; Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, and Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The family moved back to Illinois while Sergeant Gladhill served in the Vietnam War. After his safe return at Christmas, 1967, the family moved back to Fort Belvoir. When Sergeant Gladhill was posted to Korea for a year, Sylvia and the kids moved back to Illinois. The next move was to Heidelberg, Germany, where Sylvia worked in the library for the soldiers and their families stationed there. This was followed by a final assignment to Fort Devens, near Boston Massachusetts, where Sylvia worked in the library of Boston College and Sergeant Major Gladhill retired in 1977.

Sylvia had a very active life as an Army wife, being responsible for overseeing the many moves and raising children in a variety of countries and at times as a single parent while Ted was deployed. In addition to her many responsibilities, when the family situation allowed, she worked as a substitute teacher. She and her family made good use of the educational and cultural opportunities presented by travel and she cherished many memories.

After Ted's retirement from the Army, the couple moved to Illinois, where Sylvia worked as a librarian for the University of Illinois for a few years before they moved to Sierra Vista, Arizona, where Sylvia served as the Fort Huachuca Chapel librarian. Ted passed away and was interred at Fort Huachuca National Cemetery in 1994. Sylvia decided that she would like to live near her sister, Mary Carloye in Pullman, and moved here in 1996. She was active in Trinity Lutheran church, where her love of books caused her to volunteer as church librarian.

Sylvia is survived by her children, Theodore Gladhill (Karen) of Sammamish, Washington; Mary Elizabeth Henderson of Frome, England; and Richard Gladhill (Kristie) of Portland, Oregon. She is also survived by her grandchildren Kathleen Dust (Todd), Joseph Henderson, James Henderson, Andrew Gladhill (Francesca), and Ethan Gladhill. And she is survived by her great grandson, Trent Dust. Among her siblings, she is survived by Lloyd Helper (Jean) of Fort Collins, Colorado; John Helper (Diana) of Denver, Colorado; Mary Carloye (Jack) of Pullman, sister-in-law Eleanor Helper and many nieces and nephews.

Memorial contributions in Sylvia's honor are suggested to Trinity Lutheran Church or to Habitat for Humanity. Kimball Funeral Home & Crematory of Pullman has been entrusted with funeral arrangements.