Gladys Verline Wunderlich Doerre was born September 15, 1923, in Spring, TX, to Carl and Dora (Kreinhop) Wunderlich.  She was baptized on October 14, 1923, and confirmed in her Christian faith on March 21, 1937, both in Trinity Lutheran Church-Klein.  She attended Trinity Lutheran School, graduating on May 26, 1937.  Gladys, nicknamed "Girlie" by her friends, often entertained her children and grandchildren with stories of her life on the farm and riding her horse "Gotch" to school.  She attended Klein High School, graduating as co-Valedictorian, on May 23, 1941.  Her classmates honored her by choosing her as Homecoming Queen and "Most Beautiful" her Senior year.   Gladys attended and graduated from St. John's College in Winfield, KS, with a teaching degree.

She married H.H. (Sam) Doerre on February 14, 1943, prior to his departure for basic training in Fort Bragg, NC.  During his stint in the Army, he served in Rome, Southern France, the Rhineland and Central Europe. While he was deployed, Gladys worked in the Klein ISD Public School System for its Superintendent, J.D. Gray. Sam was honorably discharged on January 28, 1946. Shortly thereafter, he became the Manager of the Farmers' Market in Houston, a position he held for over 30 years.  Gladys and Sam were blessed with the births of two daughters and a son – Jody (1947), Cindy (1949) and Hal (1950).

Gladys began teaching at Trinity Lutheran School in 1955.  Over the next 11 years, she taught all eight grades at one time or another, but the majority of her time was with the 1st & 2nd grades. One of her greatest joys was her interaction with those students throughout her life.

She remained a lifelong member of Trinity Lutheran Church, active in the choir and the Ladies' Aid.  She also served by hand-making small baptismal napkins for those being baptized into the church.

In 1970, Gladys helped organize a committee to preserve the German Heritage in the Klein Community which inaugurated the annual Klein ISD German Festival which continues to this day.  She said it was her most enjoyable project outside the home.

One constant in Gladys and Sam's marriage was the yearly hunting trips to Doss, TX.  Gladys missed very few of these excursions, staying home only when their children were infants.  After hunting on the Maner Ranch for many years, Gladys and Sam bought their own ranch North of Kerrville, TX, where they raised Red Brangus cattle.  Sam hunted there with his family until his passing in 1992.

Realizing that this ranch was too large for her to manage, she along with her family purchased a smaller ranch West of Fredericksburg.  She built a home on this ranch, sold all her property in Harris County, and joined her son Hal and his family, Brenda and Sean, in the Hill Country.  She became active in the Gillespie County Republican Women and Hill Country Cattle Women organizations, making new friends there and at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg.

After 10 years, Gladys and her family decided to sell this second ranch and purchase a smaller ranch between Fredericksburg and Johnson City.  She also bought a home for herself in Fredericksburg that her children remodeled for her.  She loved her time there and often referred to that home as "her castle."  She lived there until January 2013, when she moved back to Houston to be closer to her daughters.

She moved into Bayou Manor Independent Living Facility to maintain her independent lifestyle, something very important to her.  There she lived a very active and pampered life, making many dear friends.

On the Saturday before her passing, she celebrated her 95th birthday with a large gathering of family and friends at Bayou Manor. She had a glorious time!

The next day Gladys fell in her apartment, breaking her hip.  She underwent partial hip replacement surgery, but her heart could not survive the trauma. She went to be with her Lord and Savior on Wednesday evening, September 19.

Friends are invited to visit with the family from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, September 24, at Klein Funeral Home - Tomball, 1400 W. Main, Tomball, TX 77375. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, September 25, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 5201 Spring Cypress Road, Spring, TX 77379, with interment to follow in Trinity Lutheran Cemetery.

Her life was an amazing inspiration to her family, and she will be dearly missed.