Gladys D. Tuuri passed away at the age of 97 on Saturday, January 7th, 2023 at Cook Hospital in Cook, MN.  She was born to Mayme Thelma (Holkko) and (Sam) Lahja Isaac Salomon Seppala in Virginia, MN on December 24, 1925.  Because the Seppalas lived in the logging camp they owned, rooms were rented in the Mondavi house for the winter birth of their first child.

As a child Gladie grew up in lumber camps in Buyck, Pike Lake and Poplar Lake on the Gun Flint Trail near Grand Marais.  She was known to log boom walk as well as becoming an accomplished acrobatic gymnast and figure skater.  On July 4th, 1940 her father, Sam Seppala drowned on Poplar Lake and she and her mother moved to Virginia, MN.  Later Gladie moved to Mullan, Idaho with her mother and step-father, Hans Kesanen, until she graduated from high school and returned to Virginia and attended cosmetology school in Duluth and obtained a license.

For a time, Gladie owned and operated a beauty shop in Mt. Iron, MN until she met and married WW II veteran, O.W. Tuuri who began graduate work for his master's degree in Greeley, CO.  Later O.W. began a teaching and school administrator career in Wrenshall, Remer and Virginia MN.  Gladys owned and operated Remer Beauty Shop and worked at the Plaza in Virginia.   Gladie and O.W. enjoyed the two homes they built on Lake Vermilion property and shared with O.W.'s sister with joy and refuge!  For over twenty years Gladie volunteered in Cook for the Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Shop and weekly cut and styled hair at the hospital nursing home.

Gladys is survived by daughters, Linda Young of Britt and her three children, Ann, Ellie and Liz and Judith (Bob) Ulseth of Cook and their three children, Julian, Lee and Amber.  Her grandchildren remember her piloting the boat for waterskiing, the ice skating lessons, the food and the iced sled runs she set up for their arrival at the lake.  Gladie's great grandchildren number eight plus bonus step great grandchildren.

The losses that Gladie endured during her lifetime include her husband, mother, father, step-father and three infant siblings, her son Dr. William Nicholas Tuuri (Butch), his wife. DeDe and grandsons, Will and Luke and recently her nephew, John Wiitanen.  The loss of her best friend and sister-in-law, Helvi Tuuri Wiitanen Nykanen and Holger was devastating to her and the whole family.

The whole family of Gladys Tuuri want to extend their grateful, "Thank You!" to the staff at Cook Carefree Living for their extra care recently and for the past nine years of her life.  Thank you also to the Cook Hospital doctors and staff and emergency services and the Essentia Health East Range Hospice Team for their care of Gladie.

Services are not planned at this time. Online condolences to www.mlakerfuneralhome.com