Gladys Cudmore

Friday, May 18, 2012

Nov. 1, 1924 - May 12, 2012

Gladys "Berklee" Cudmore, 87, of Boise went to be with her Lord on May 12, 2012, after an extended illness. A Memorial Service will be held in her honor on Tuesday, May 22, 2012, at 10:30 a.m. at the New Hope Nazarene Church, 8585 West Overland Road, Boise, of which she was a member.

The service will be under the direction of Accent Funeral Home, Meridian. At a later date, interment will be in the Mountain Home Cemetery family plot next to her husband, Arthur.

Berklee was born in Boise on Nov. 1, 1924 as the third daughter of William Berkley Brown and Gladys Brown of Mountain Home. She was a third-generation Idahoan and proud of it. Her parents owned and operated a cattle ranch among other things. Being raised on the ranch, she developed a love for horses at an early age. As an adult, there were many rides with great friends as they took "off to the hills" every chance they got!

Her love for horses lasted her whole life. At the end of her life, when she didn't communicate much, she was always ready to talk about her horses!

Berklee attended Mountain Home schools from first grade to graduation. She graduated in 1943 and left Mountain Home soon after for Los Angeles, Calif., to live with her older sister, Dixie.

It was there that she met the love of her life, Arthur Cudmore, while she was working at Wilshire Hospital where Art was in his Medical Residency. Their romance quickly turned serious, and they were married in June that same year.

After a long train ride clear across the country, Berklee was finally introduced to his family and home in Washington, D.C., where they tied the knot on June 17, 1944.

After Art graduated from Medical School, they roamed around the country from Georgia to Oklahoma. While they were in Oklahoma, their two boys, Mark and Pat, were born in 1946 and 1947 respectively.

Then they visited Berklee's beloved Idaho, and they never left. They completed their family when their daughter, Dixie, was born on Jan. 12, 1955.

Berklee lived a long and active life until she fell ill. She was an avid Bridge player and golfer and was a member of several horse clubs such as the Western Riding Club and Appaloosa Club. She belonged to the Winnebago Traveling Club and was an active member of Boise First Church and then New Hope Nazarene Church where Berklee was a member at the time of her death.

Berklee is survived by her three children and their spouses, Mark Cudmore, Pat and Sandy Cudmore, Dixie and Chuck Heaton, four grandchildren, Heather Moore, Stacie Cudmore, DeEtte Heaton, Chas Heaton and three great grandchildren, Lucy Sproul, Savannah De Simone and Cadhen Heaton.

Berklee was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Arthur S. Cudmore, her parents W.B. and Gladys Brown and her two sisters, Dixie Vogel and Vida Gridley.

A special thank you to Applewood Assisted Living, owner Mark Phelan, manager Ashley Lairson and their staff for making the last year and half of Berklee's life the best it could be! She was loved unconditionally and pampered beyond the norm! Thank you!

Harrison's Hope Hospice also deserves a big thank you! The medical, spiritual and social care she received was awesome! The faces that the family saw, Dr. Chu, Merrill, Jaci, Jerry and Brenda, represented Harrison's Hope Hospice well! Thanks!

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Trinity Pines Nazarene Church Camp, Arthur S. Cudmore Prayer Garden, P.O. Box 1269, Cascade, ID, 83611. Remembrances may be left for the family at www.AccentFuneral.com.