Gladys Ella Harder, 94, died Dec. 23, 2022, at Northwoods Village in Mishawaka, Ind.

She was born May 30, 1928, to Henry G. and Helen (Falk) Harder in Mountain Lake, Minn.

She married Leo J. Harder on Sept. 26, 1959, at First Mennonite Church, Mountain Lake. Two daughters, Kathleen and Mary, were born to this marriage. They joined Gordon, Charles and Lois, Leo’s three children from his first marriage.

She graduated from Mountain Lake High School in 1946 and subsequently attended Mountain Lake Bible School and Grace Bible Institute.
She was baptized by Pastor I.J. Dyck in 1945 at First Mennonite Church, Mountain Lake, where she remained an active, lifelong member. She was a committed Christian, living her faith and interacting with others with kindness, understanding and grace.
For many years she worked in the administrative offices of the Basinger Clinic and then the Glick and Wiens Clinic. She then worked for a few years at the Christian Day School. She loved books and purchased the BookNook in Mountain Lake. After fire destroyed the building and snuffed out her years of work in the store, she retired and, with Leo, entered Mennonite Voluntary Service, through which they served for several years in Fort Collins, Colo., and at the International Guest House in Washington, D.C. Returning to Mountain Lake, she volunteered at the Ten Thousand Villages store (Care and Share Shop) in Mountain Lake.
She is survived by her children, Gordon (Eva), Charles, Lois (Steve), Kathleen (Merin) and Mary (Wes); six grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and a brother, Leslie (Gladys Ann).
She was preceded in death by Leo, her husband of 58 years, on Dec. 9, 2017; a sister, Frances (Erwin); and her in-laws on Leo’s side: Theresa, Harry (Anna), Jacob (Estella), Anna (Marvin), Lawrence (Kathy), Albert (Bessie) and Walter (Joyce).

A memorial service is planned for April 22 in Mountain Lake.