Gladys M. Kiviniemi, 89, of Scottsburg, Indiana, passed peacefully from this life into eternal life in heaven on Friday the 2nd of January 2015 at her home. She was born April 26, 1925, in Leslie County, Kentucky, to the late James and Nancy (Bowling) Morgan. She was proud of being from Kentucky and grew up in Cinda.  Her nickname was “Freckles,” which she did not find endearing until her mother told her they were kisses from the sun.  One of her fondest childhood memories was being challenged by missionaries at the age of 12 to learn and memorize 250 Bible verses. By doing so, she earned a Bible and a week at Bible camp.  She said she wished children did that nowadays. Growing up in the hills of Kentucky instilled a love of bluegrass music, and you could often find her clapping her hands and tapping her foot to the beat. She loved fiddle, banjo, dulcimer and piano music.  She later attended high school at Berea, KY, where she worked in the candy kitchen, bakery, dairy, and on the weaving loom.  She left high school when her brother Bret was shipped overseas during WW II, and she moved to Cincinnati, OH, where she worked at the Brenaman Company placing rip cords in bomb chutes. She also worked at the Army Ammunition plant in Charlestown and Mariann’s Restaurant here in Scottsburg.   Although Gladys worked other jobs during her lifetime, her most important and best work was as a mother. Gladys took great pride in her children and grandchildren and referred to them as her greatest treasures. She instilled honesty, love, and a great work ethic in them.  Gladys is fondly remembered by her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews for reading poems and stories to them when they were children. She felt education was extremely important and wanted to set that example for others, so she attended night classes and received her GED at the age of 65 at the top of her class!   She was an accomplished quilter, winning many blue and grand champion ribbons at the local and state levels. She gifted quilts to all of her children and many other family members. During her early child rearing days, she often made her children’s clothing.  In addition to hand appliquéing and quilting, she enjoyed crocheting and embroidering, working crosswords and playing games, flower gardening, viewing the fall foliage, and feeding and watching songbirds.  Gladys’ legacy of love and optimism, her positive, cheerful attitude, light-hearted laughter, and sweet smile lived on even as she battled lung cancer for the entirety of 2014.  She believed in Jesus and set such an amazing example of how to live and how to die, saying that people needed to take life one day at a time, do their best, roll with the punches, and accept that dying is part of living.  As one of her last acts of love, Gladys gave everyone in her family a King James Bible for Christmas, challenging them to learn many of the verses she so dearly loved and recited as recently as Christmas Day. She enjoyed being cared for by her family during her last months of life and spent many cherished days with her children.  She displayed peace while she lived and as she died, knowing that she would have a wonderful homecoming in heaven.  She was the loving mother to six children who survive her: Ronald (Ann) of Pisgah Forest, NC; Jerald (Alita) of Borden, IN; Gary (Virginia) of Manchester, TN;  David (Evelyn) of Christiana, TN; Sharon (Gary) Hurtienne of Austin, IN; Connie (Keith) Kiviniemi-Baylor of Columbus, IN. She is also survived by 15 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. One grandson (Jerald) preceded her in death.  Gladys is also survived by two sisters, Wilma Gay of Scottsburg and Yvonne Cull of TN, one brother Marmaduke (Duke) of KY. She also leaves behind a cherished niece and nephew, Joyce Spellman and Larry Campbell, both of Austin, who visited with her weekly. Also surviving are three brothers-in-law, including Leonard Kiviniemi of Scottsburg, and numerous other nieces and nephews.  In addition to her grandson, she was preceded in death by her parents, brothers, Bret, Douglas, and Burgoyne Morgan, and two sisters, Alma Hoard and Madelon Rector.   A graveside service for family will be held at the Scottsburg Cemetery on Sunday, January 4th at 3:00 pm.  Gladys’ family and friends are welcome to join her children at her home for a celebration of her life from 4-6 pm on Sunday at 90 N Beechwood Avenue, Scottsburg, IN.  They welcome and encourage you to share your special memories of how she touched your life.  Online condolences: www.collinsfuneralhome.net.