Gladys Marie (Mullins) Knell

Gladys Marie (Mullins) Knell, age 72, passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by the love and support of her family and friends in Benton, on June 2, 2024. Gladys was born to the late Ray & Ida (Wilmot) Mullins September 10, 1951, in Bucyrus Community Hospital. Gladys joins her brothers Jessie Ray Mullins, William (Little Billy) Mullins, & James (Danny) Mullins and her sister Polly (John) Thompson and nephews Norman Thompson, Billy Ray, & Lewis Wayne Zornes.

Gladys spent 27 wonderful years married to Roger Knell, whom she wed on July 2nd, 1996. Together, they had two children: Josh (Shannon) Bloomfield and Debbie (Josh) Schwilk. She was also blessed with seven grandchildren: Tabatha (Cain) Leuthold, Kaiden Bloomfield, Kylee Bloomfield, Kenzie (Dylan) Ham, Mason Ritter, Jacob Schwilk, Jordon Schwilk, two great grandchildren Dawson Thompson and Dawson Gray Leuthold, step children Leann Dalton, Eric Bloomfield, Sonia Fry, Princess Fuller, Sheila Fuller and their children.

She is also survived by her sisters Ruthie Zornes and Mae Breyley as well as many nieces, nephews, close friends, neighbors, and extended church family.

Gladys graduated from Wynford High School Class of 71’. She worked for Westinghouse/AO Smith, where she retired after 30 years. Gladys was nurtured in the spiritual community of the Bucyrus Evangelical Center and remains an active and devoted member of the Pentecostal Tabernacle in Oceola. She cherished the joy of attending live gospel singings, where she would revel in the uplifting music and fellowship with dear friends and neighbors.

In her free time, Gladys enjoyed being outside working on her tan while mowing or tending to her garden, where she grew everything from tomatoes to roses. She was a master of the art of preserving. She would spend hours in the kitchen with Roger, carefully sterilizing jars and filling them with care as the kids would snap the next bushel of beans. We all looked forward to her annual fresh batches of green beans & tomato juice, which were always in high demand among her friends and family. Gladys's love of cooking was matched only by her love of sharing meals with others. She was a skilled cook with her chicken dumplings being the star at many family gatherings. She loved going to the Great Smokey Mountains and was a great back seat navigator, (in between naps of course). She would periodically stir to offer Roger expert guidance, ensuring their many adventures down south with her sister Ruthie were always on track. Gladys truly loved working on her puzzles. When home she could always be found sitting at her kitchen table with a glass of Pepsi crunching away on her ice, surrounded by the comfort of family and friends, working in quiet contentment on the puzzle of the day.

No amount of time with our Gladys would have been enough for her family and friends, though she gave us enough biscuits and memories to last several lifetimes she will be deeply missed by all that knew her.

The family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the Wyandot City Hospice staff for their compassionate care and support during Gladys' final days.

Funeral services will be held at Munz-Pirnstill Funeral Home. The Viewing will be held Wednesday June 5, from 3pm - 6pm. Funeral June 6, at 1pm. Burial will be at Whetstone Cemetery, 1103 Poe Rd, Bucyrus, OH 44820 with a lunch following at the Masters Chapel in Benton. Memorials may be made to funeral home. Moments of remembrance may be left online at www.munzpirnstill.com