Gladys Brannon

Gladys Brannon, 98, of Palestine, IL, passed away on October 19, 2025, at Robinson Rehab. She was born on March 5, 1927, in York, IL, and grew up during the Great Depression, watching her mother raise four children on her own. Those early years were hard, but they taught her lessons she carried all her life: to work hard, to be grateful, and to keep a kind heart, no matter what came her way. She lost two brothers in World War II, another heartbreak woven into the hardships of those years. But what’s remarkable is that, in the middle of all that loss, Gladys became a deeply happy person. Her joy wasn’t loud. It was steady. The kind that came from faith, family, and an unshakable sense of what mattered most.

After graduating from Hutsonville High School in 1945, she went on to work at McCormick's Grocery Store, The Argus, and Crawford County State Bank. Wherever she worked, she was steady and dependable, giving her best without complaint. That same work ethic followed her home, shaping the way she loved and cared for the people who mattered most to her. One of the primary ways she cared for them was through food, namely, her famous homemade noodles. No holiday or get-together was complete without them, rolled out by hand with love and care. When she wasn’t in the kitchen, she might be tucked away with a good book, piecing together a puzzle, or working through a word search. She had a mind that liked to keep learning, taking college-level Bible courses and studying calligraphy just because she wanted to.

Though she found peace in her hobbies and routines, Gladys found her greatest joy in caring for her family. She poured herself into raising her three daughters, making sure they always felt safe and loved. But she was gentle, thoughtful, and deeply loyal to everyone she loved. You didn’t have to guess how she felt about you—she told you, both with her words and in the way she showed up. She lit up around her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, proud of every one of them. She also held a special dedication for her granddaughter Leanna, advocating for her with determination and grace.

Gladys lived almost a century, but more than the length of her life, it was the steadiness of it that defined her. She was kind, gentle, and honest. The encourager. The protector. The one who could be counted on. It should come as no surprise, then, that her faith was the quiet center of everything she did. For many years, she attended Second Methodist Church in Palestine, where she taught Sunday school and grew in her love for Jesus. Gladys didn’t just believe in Jesus; she walked with Him. The faith that carried her through every season has now become sight. She is home with her Lord, healed and happy, surrounded by a peace and love that will never fade.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Trish & Myron Napier; her grandchildren, Gabe Burgund, Leanna Siverly, Christopher Napier, and Kylie & Eric Jenkins; her great-grandchildren, Chase, Alexandria, Harper, and Lily; as well as several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Raymond Brannon; her daughters, Janice Siverly and Robin Burgund; her grandson, Chance Michael Jenkins; her mother, Helen (Dudley) Whitman; and her brothers, Harold, Louis “Jr.,” and Charles Whitman.

A time of visitation will be held from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Friday, October 24th, at the Goodwine Funeral Home in Palestine. A funeral service will immediately follow at 2:00 p.m., with Celebrant Curt Goodwine officiating. Burial will be in the Palestine Cemetery.