Gladys Huyck Grieve, A Lady of Extraordinary Depth.

Gladys Huyck Grieve

Gladys Grieve came to Sparks in 1910 as a new bride at age 19. Her husband, Curran Burr Huyck, worked for Southern Pacific Railroad. He died in 1937 in a horrific railroad accident.

 Before Gladys died at the age of 79, a lady of extraordinary depth, she accrued a variety of accolades that were listed in her obituary in 1971, some of which are listed here.

 “As an officer of the Sparks Civic Club, she led a successful campaign to replace old Cottonwood trees in Sparks with Chinese Elms.”

“She also aided a project to turn Dee Park from a camping ground into a park-playground.”

“In 1925, she was appointed registrar of the United States Land Office in Carson City, and was one of only three women in the United States hold such an office at that time.”

“She became Post Master in the Sparks Post Office in 1920 and at the same time ran an auto court in Sparks on Prater Way.”

“Six years later she sold the auto court and bought 176 acres of farm land. The land extended from Prater Way to the Greenbrae Shopping Center and east from Pyramid to Stanford Way.”

Annie Ashby was a dear friend to Gladys; they had known each other for decades. Being such a dear friend, Annie cared for Gladys toward the end of her life when Gladys became very ill. The two had time to reflect about Gladys life as Annie wrote some of the highlights for a life sketch.  After Gladys’ death, Annie related some of the things she remembered about her as well.

Gladys’ Memories

“I was born in Vernal, Uintah County, Utah on Dec. 19, 1891 or 1892. I was a honey blonde, and they called me a toe head. The Indians from the reservation came and they would yank and pull at my hair then discuss it.

There was an epidemic of Diphtheria which struck with only one doctor in town. He called it Membranus Croup or Sore Throat but one of our Mormon neighbors lost five children with it. Our family had it, my brother Burt, Sister Viola and myself. My sister Viola, four years old, died with it. By that time they sent for a doctor in Denver. He took cultures and was so rough with me I wouldn’t let him swab my throat because it was so sore. He gave me pills but I dropped them behind the bed.

Then [my folks] sent for two Mormon missionaries. One or the other of them would take care of us until we were able to care for ourselves.  They stayed right in our home.

Because I wouldn’t let them care for me, the Diphtheria ate the lining of the passageway from my throat to my nose so that it affected me throughout the years.

I went to school in DeBeque, Colorado. They were very bitter against the Mormons. We were studying the history of Utah. Someone said, “There are only Mormons living there.” Then the teacher said, “Oh, there are some white people.”

About this time there were two missionaries trying to work in town, but they couldn’t get in. They finally left and on their way out they heard the Devil talking to them. He said, “So you are giving up?” and he laughed at them.

I came to Sparks, Nevada with my husband as a bride in 1910. He worked on the railroad.

I served in the community as head of the Red Cross Sewing Center; making shirts, pajamas, etc., for the soldiers in the First World War, 1917-1918. I also worked for the Canteen Service, serving food for soldiers passing through on the train. I was privileged to sit on the stage at the Granada Theatre with President Woodrow Wilson.

I was appointed by Mayor Adams during the depression as chairman of the Welfare Committee, searching out the poor and distributing food for the families out of work, of which there were a great many.

When the government took over this work I was charged with distributing the first flour, then later came the clothing for those in need.

I started working for a Democrat Committee for Senator Key Pittman before I was old enough to vote. I helped organize a group of women voters into a club called, “The Silver Key.” I continued to work in the Democratic party and became a personal friend of some of the “Greats” during these years, Senator Pittman, Governor Schrugham, Governor Fred Belzar, Judge McKnight, Lester Summerfield and many others.

I worked in the Sparks Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under Branch Presidents Giles Vanderhoof, Leland T. Fife and Peter L. Ferguson. I was President of the Y.L.M.I.A. in 1926.

One winter about 1935 or 1936, while living in Sparks, Burr Huyck, my husband and I were working in Carson City. We took our three children, Viola, Phillip and Edwin with us. There was a snow storm so bad that morning that we had a hard time getting there.

We left home at 8 A.M. but didn’t arrive until noon. There were cars stalled all along the way and we helped others to get out. One car barely missed hitting us and went into the bank and stayed there for several weeks.

One man and his wife and child didn’t observe the detour sign and drove in anyway and got caught in deep snow. The man got out and left to get help, fell over a cliff and broke his leg. He was found a few weeks later, he had shot himself and was dead.

The woman kept calling for help. The only food she had was a little oatmeal which she fed to the baby. She would reach out of the car and get snow to moisten their lips with. Two men on snow shoes came by and heard her cries. They got help for them and took them to the hospital in Carson.

The day we got to Carson at noon we went right over and got a room. It was lucky we did for it was more than a week before we could leave.

That week other people, who were stranded, filled the homes and hotels and even the prison. Snow was piled high on the sides of the roads, fifteen and twenty feet. Plumbing was frozen in the homes in Sparks as well as in Carson. It was a terribly cold winter.

I helped to put on many dinners with the Relief Society in the Robinson Hall where we fed hundreds of people and earned money to build the new meeting house on C Street and Prater Way for the L.D.S. church.

My Testimony

I made myself some Brigham Tea and while drinking it one of the joints got caught in my throat and somehow went into my nasal passage. The pain was so severe I went to the doctor to have it removed. He couldn’t get it out without surgery. I went home and had the elders administer to me and the next morning the mucus was streaming from my nose and with it came the joint. It was 1 ½ long. The doctor said, “Gladys, you almost persuade me to become a Mormon.”

Sometime later I decided to take a trip to Europe, but I had this lump in my side. I went to this same doctor. He examined my side and asked his wife who was an R.N. to feel the lump. They decided that I would need surgery before I made the trip. I felt if I had surgery I wouldn’t be going, so I asked to be administered to and when it was done the pain left and so did the lump. I went to Europe and it didn’t bother me at all. The doctor was amazed.

In 1936, when I had surgery they didn’t think I would live. I was administered to by Peter L. Ferguson. During the operation, they said I repeated his prayer.

I know the church is true. There is a God, I couldn’t deny it, even if I were burned to my very death.

Annie Ashby’s Reflections

After serving big dinners, she would take the leftovers to families who had little children where the husband was out of work. I remember, personally, her bringing a big pan of turkey gravy to my home to feed my little ones when my husband was laid off from the railroad for nearly two years. She always shared what she had and you never left her home hungry.

She loved to entertain family and friends. Great crowds of people would come to parties she held in her back yard or in her home. She had a home at Lake Tahoe where she invited many to share her hospitality. Always big meals planned and all we could eat.

In our meetings when we first came to Sparks she led songs, played piano, taught speech and dramatics. No gathering politically, socially, or religiously was held wherein she did not assist. Not only did she assist her own church but other churches as well.

She served with Bertha J. Purdy in the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. She later became the Captain and County President and worked very hard with all of us to get our papers sent into the Central Company. We had a large group of women who became members from her persuasion.

She was a friend to the needy and oppressed and helped in the homes where there was sickness.

I always felt that she was a very special person and a very special leader and organizer. There were times, I’ll confess, I envied her the energy she possessed.

I spent the last few weeks of her life taking care of her. I’m so glad I had the distinguished privilege of serving her as best I could until she passed from this life.