Glendale City Church

Gladys Golay celebrated her 100th birthday April 20. On April 23 Glendale City Church members celebrated the life of this woman who has now served City Church faithfully in so many crucial ways. A dinner party was thrown and the Loma Linda Academy Consort performed afterwards in her honor.

Gladys was the wife of Gene Golay, local Methodist church minister for more than 50 years before his passing several years ago. She was the quintessential minster’s wife, standing next to him at the close of the Sunday service, shaking the hands of church members as they left service.

One week after Gene Golay retired, Gladys came to him and said, “Gene, have I not served you faithfully as your wife for many years?”

And, of course, Gene said, “Yes, you have, dear.”

Gladys said, “Well, Gene, now that you have retired, I would like to go back to my church.”

Nothing had ever hit Gene and hurt him more than this. He admired his wife, but he realized what she had given up over the years for him and his ministry--that she had actually served him in the ministry, but all the while desired to go back to her home church.

He said, “Of course,” as he told me this story, “I couldn’t object and didn’t even want to.” And so Gladys returned to Glendale City Seventh-day Adventist Church and has been home for more than 20 years.

edited from Glendale NewsPress, May 1, 2010