Elizabeth Gildea, age 75, of Ankeny, Iowa, passed away on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, April 16th, 2024, at 11:00 am at Ankeny First United Methodist Church. A visitation will be held one hour prior from 10:00 am to 11:00 am.
Elizabeth Anne Gildea (Wilson) was born on September 25th, 1948, to Kenneth and Lorene (Harger) Wilson in McCook, Nebraska. She spent her early years in rural Decatur County, Kansas. The family moved to the Wichita area in December 1952. Elizabeth attended school in Bogue, Kansas through second grade, and then moved to Mulvane, Kansas. She graduated valedictorian of her class at Mulvane High School in 1966. Elizabeth was active in vocal and instrumental music, playing oboe and piano. She began college in the fall of 1966 at Wichita State University and completed her B.A. in Music History at The University of Kansas in 1971. Elizabeth then earned her MBA from Iowa State University in 1992. Later in life, she also studied Spanish and Portuguese at Grandview University in Des Moines, Iowa.
Elizabeth married Robert Wilson in November of 1968, and they divorced in October of 1972. She then married Jim Gildea in January of 1981.
Elizabeth had a distinguished career with the Social Security Administration. She began working in the Mid-America Program Service Center in Kansas City in 1973, followed by positions in field offices in Kansas City, KS, Columbus, NE, Norfolk, NE, Beatrice, NE, Lincoln, NE, Waterloo, IA, Des Moines, IA, Ames, IA, and Ottumwa, IA. Elizabeth retired in 2018 after 47 years as a dedicated civil servant.
She was a lifelong faithful member of the United Methodist Church, and was active in United Women in Faith Ruth Circle at First United Methodist in Ankeny, IA. Elizabeth also served as the music librarian for the Des Moines Children's Choruses (now the Iowa Youth Chorus) in the 1990's.
Elizabeth loved strong black coffee, black licorice, crossword puzzles, academic studies, and international travel. She was a lifelong learner, a talented musician and seamstress, and a hard-working employee. She always cheered for Nebraska Cornhuskers football and St. Louis Cardinals baseball. She was a devoted mother and grandmother who loved nothing more than having a house full of family.
Elizabeth Gildea is survived by her brother, Gary Wilson; children; Andrea (Jerry) Branchcomb, Kathy (Tom Younce) Wilson, Sarah (Matthias) Knobloch, Peter Gildea; stepchildren David (Karen) Gildea, Janey (Wally) Sommers, Mary Cole; grandchildren; Gary, Kyle, Chandler, Sabrina, Ashley, Brandon, Mason, Felix, Matilda, Leo, Lisa, Kara, Stephanie, Trenton, Joshua, Breann, Josiah; 6 great-grandchildren and too many cousins to count. Elizabeth was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her brother, David Wilson, infant daughter, Margaret Elaine Wilson, adult daughter, Rachel Gildea, stepson, Bill Gildea, and granddaughter Jennifer Gildea.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in her memory to Iowa Public Radio, the Iowa Youth Chorus or United Women in Faith – Ankeny UMC
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