Obituary of Gladys Stella Tyrrell

Gladys Tyrrell (nee Bula), 105, of Lake Havasu City, passed peacefully at home, with family by her side, on October 31, 2022. Gladys was born October 16, 1917, in St. Charles, MI, to John and Stella Bula, the sixth of seven children. An independent spirit throughout her life, Gladys traveled solo by train to San Diego, CA, in 1944, where she went to work. She met John Tyrrell (d. 1999) at a tea dance at the Hotel del Coronado, and they married in 1946. Gladys and John raised six children: Colette (Doug) Rankin (d. 2003); Antoinette (Allan) Mitchell, Columbus, OH; Candace (Rex) Loesby, Meridian, ID; Michel, Parker, CO; Jeffrey (Darcy), Harrisonburg, VA; and Gary, Half Moon Bay, CA. Gladys was further blessed with 14 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Her life was full and active, with relocations from San Diego to New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, before Gladys and John retired to Arizona in 1983. They raised their family on a foundation of faith, education, and service. While managing the family household and nurturing her children, Gladys was also involved in church and community service. Gladys was a long-time parishioner at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church. It's impossible to capture the depth and breadth of a 105-year life in a few paragraphs: daughter; sister; friend; cousin; spouse; auntie; mother; grandmother; great-grandmother; Catholic; caregiver; mentor; confidante; volunteer; gracious hostess and chef; charming jokester; celebrated centenarian. Asked about the secret to her longevity, she said that it's about spending time with younger people - it helps to keep you young at heart. On her 102nd birthday, she advised, "Be kind to everyone, and don't worry." Lietz-Fraze Funeral Home will handle memorial arrangements. Gifts in Gladys' memory may to made to Beacon of Hope Hospice or to Our Lady of the Lake Holy Family Scholarship Fund.