Gladys A. Lumpkin

Gladys Josephine Lumpkin, age 96, went to be with her Lord on Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023. She was born August 14, 1926, to Axel and Esther Anderson, growing up just outside of Taylor, Texas, on her family farm with sister, Violet, and brother, Leroy. A graduate of Hutto High School, Gladys was an excellent student, particularly at math, and went on to attend Durham Business School in Austin.

Gladys met the love of her life, John Benjamin Lumpkin (J.B.) at a honkytonk dance hall and immediately stole J.B.’s heart. He was so confident that she was the perfect girl for him, he proposed to her on their second date. The two were married on Memorial Day, May 30, 1948, beginning a dance of life that would last 62 years.

Gladys and J.B. settled in Houston and had three beloved children: Tommy, Peggy and Jackie. Gladys worked for T.J. Bettis Mortgage Company as an administrative assistant prior to stepping out as an entrepreneur and founding a produce delivery company in Spring Branch. Later, Gladys and J.B. moved to Cypress and founded their second business, Cy Fair Water Well Company. While living in Cypress, Gladys and J.B. were faithful members of Cypress United Methodist Church, regularly attending Sunday school and meeting with friends for dinner at their regular ‘supper club’ social gatherings.

Her life was a living example of one of her favorite Bible verses, Ephesians 4:32 — “And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.”

Gladys will be remembered for her generosity, her love of her family, dancing, hot coffee, her delicious homemade potato salad and yummy sock-it-to-me cake. She is survived by her brother Leroy and wife Frieda, her three children, six grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren -- all of whom she loved deeply, leaving a lasting legacy of kindness and devotion.