Gladys Irene Evans, aged 93, of Springfield, Missouri passed away peacefully Monday morning after a brief illness. Gladys was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, John Arthur "Art" Evans, her son Jon Paul Evans, her brother Art "Bud" Harris and his wife Ruth Harris of Rush Springs, Oklahoma. She is survived by son Kevin Ray Evans and his wife Nancy Williams, daughter-in-law Julie Evans, grandsons Chad Evans and Randy Evans, and niece Virginia Eller of Rush Springs and her children. Gladys was born in Springfield, Illinois to Schuyler and Thirza Harris. She grew up during the Great Depression on a small farm near Raymond, Illinois. She graduated from high school in 1935 and helped her widower father on the farm. During World War II, she worked for Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Company in Hillsboro, Illinois. There, she met Ruth and Annie Evans, sisters of her future husband, Art. Gladys and Art were married in Palestine, Texas in 1947. Art was a field surveyor for the U.S. Geological Survey for 29 years, and he and Gladys stayed together over the 105 different mapping assignments. Son Jon was born in 1951 and Kevin in 1958. Gladys was a full-time homemaker who kept the family together despite semi-annual moves across the Midwest north in the summer and south in the winter. Gladys made a profession of faith in 1969 while stationed in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Church and spiritual matters were an important part of Art and Gladys' lives. In 1975, Art and Gladys retired in Springfield, Missouri, where Art briefly attended Baptist Bible College, and both tended a large garden, noted for its sumptuous tomatoes. The family wishes to thank Brookhaven Health Care and Hospice Compassus for their care and support. Arrangements have been made through Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home. Visitation will be Friday, February 8, 2013 at 10:00 am in United Baptist Church, 2501 W. State St., Springfield, services to follow. The family requests donations to the American Cancer Society in lieu of flowers.