McKOWN

GLADYS AUEL

Gladys Auel McKown, born October 17, 1946, passed away after a brief illness at her home in Johnstown, PA.

Gladys was an accomplished woman who married her high school sweetheart David when both were 19. "They said it wouldn't last" but they were one year shy of their 60th anniversary.

After her marriage, she attended the University of Pittsburgh and became a registered Dental Hygienist. She worked for a "society dentist" and claimed she had helped straighten the teeth of the children of almost every industrial icon in the Pittsburgh area. After she graduated with a Masters degree in Public Health, for 10 years she was the Supervisor of Dental Services for the Allegheny County Health Department.

Gladys was a dedicated genealogist, fortunate to have Quaker ancestor (great record keepers) and amassed a total of 33,487 persons, covering 12 generations and including 6,212 surnames, stretching back to the Middle Ages. She collected many old and precious artifacts and photographs of her ancestors, many of which she framed and put on her "rogue's gallery" wall.

She loved to travel and she and her husband visited England (to see even more ancestors!), Germany (no luck yet), Italy (the Sistine Chapel was amazing), Egypt (rode a camel), Kenya (fantastic safari), Mexico, most of the Caribbean islands, and almost all 50 states, including Hawaii and Alaska.

Her move to Johnstown after living 30 years in Monroeville was a joy, because "if there are more than 3 cars ahead of you, it's a traffic jam!" and she so loved the spring and fall colors of the Laurel Highlands.

She is survived by her sister Dorothy Miller (Gary) from North Wales, PA, her brother Conrad G Auel, Jr. (Nancy Hook) from Arden, NC and by niece Amy Lynn Geissele (William), great nieces Faith Lynn and Joy Judith Geissele, great nephews Abraham Lawrence and Moses Lee Geissele, nephew Andrew Conrad Auel (Jenifer Strausser), grand-nephews Judah Gabe and JJ (Jonathan Joshua) Auel, niece Rachel Auel-Smith (Shea), grand-nephews Micah Andrew and Oliver Riley Smith, and close friends Margaret Eannarino of Monroeville and Audrey Ensminger of Pittsburgh.

She was predeceased by her parents, Conrad G Auel, Sr. and Dorothy (Gould) Auel.

Burial will be private.