LaVerne Joan Glandon

LaVerne Joan Gilligan passed away on May 13, 2015. LaVerne was born November 20, 1928, to Vern and Violet Gilligan in Salinas, California. When LaVerne was two years old, the family moved to Hawaii, where Vern sold Singer sewing machines. LaVerne attended Sacred Hearts Academy through high school. LaVerne often told the story of leaving Mass the morning of December 7, 1941, and seeing smoke toward Pearl Harbor. She and her brother were sent to live in California during the war, but later returned to their much-loved Hawaii. When LaVerne was in college, she went on a blind date with a young Army Officer, Charles Glandon. She was immediately charmed. While Charles went off to Korea, the two corresponded with many letters. LaVerne waited for him to return. They were married at San Francisco's St. Francis Hotel on December 20, 1952. After Charles finished his dental schooling in San Francisco, the young couple moved to Modesto, CA, and set up their home. In April, 1965, the couple adopted an infant son and named him Robert Joseph. In January, 1967, they adopted again and named their second son Donald Vincent. LaVerne loved having and attending parties with their many friends and family. LaVerne never met a stranger. She loved meeting and getting to know people of all ages. LaVerne loved her three grandchildren immensely. They were the beaming lights of her life and she always encouraged them to attend and finish college. She was often heard saying, ""Be it death or divorce, a woman has to be able to make a way for herself in this world!"" LaVerne was very proud to be ""undiluted Irish"" and loved to tell stories about her relatives coming to America from Ireland. After retiring from Macy's department store, LaVerne worked part-time at Modesto Junior College bookstore and volunteered as a docent at McHenry Museum. Although LaVerne moved to Colorado in 2012, to be near family, her heart was always in Modesto and Hawaii. LaVerne is preceded in death by her parents, Vern and Violet Gilligan, and her brother Jim Gilligan. She is survived by her sons Robert Glandon (Tammy) and Don Glandon; her grandchildren Jessica Oeleis (Jamie), Megan Glandon and Bobby Glandon; her niece Susan Garber and nephew John Gilligan. Memorial donations may be made to Sacred Hearts Academy, 3253 Waialae Ave., Honolulu, Hawaii 96816 (please note LaVerne's name on the memo line) or Agape Hospice Foundation, 6041 S. Syracuse Way, Suite 220, Greenwood Village, Colorado, 80111. A funeral mass will be at Our Lady Fatima, 505 W. Granger Ave., Modesto, CA 95350, on July 27, 1:00 pm. After the funeral mass, family and friends are invited to a reception to share their memories and stories. Condolences may be shared at https://horancares.com/obituary.