Ariel Glad

Ariel Jeanette Glad, 79, died on Thursday, February 2, 2023, at the Mapleton Community Home in Mapleton, MN, after battling pancreatic cancer.

Ariel was born in Aitkin, Minnesota on August 4, 1943, to Lloyd and Gladys (Brown) Rush. Ariel attended Aitkin High School and graduated from Duluth Central High School in 1961, later earning a bachelor’s degree in home economics education in 1973 from Mankato State College.

Ariel began her career teaching home economics at Winnebago Junior High and High Schools, where she also served as the FHA advisor.  Ariel later transitioned to being a substitute teacher in the Mapleton and Maple River high schools. Students said you never knew where Mrs. Glad would turn up as she substituted in all subjects. One of Ariel’s most challenging, but rewarding, duties was serving as the junior class advisor, in which she planned and executed several proms. Ariel retired in 2010 and greatly enjoyed hearing from former students and celebrating their life’s accomplishments and fulfillments.

Ariel married Jeff Glad at St. John’s Lutheran Church, in Aitkin, Minnesota on August 8, 1964, and later welcomed their daughter Kristina in 1981.

In retirement, Ariel enjoyed spending time at the cabin in northern Minnesota, spending time with her grandsons, entertaining friends and neighbors (especially at Christmastime), quilting with her quilting group at St. John Lutheran Church in Mapleton, leading community exercise classes, and participating in various community groups and events. Ariel was a faithful member of St. John Lutheran Church in Mapleton, where she greeted her church family members with a smile and kind words as she scurried off to her next church commitment.

Ariel is survived by daughter, Kristina (Nicholas) Peterson, and two beloved grandsons, James and William, of Riverside, CA; sister, Janice Hasselius of Aitkin, MN; sister, Adele (George) Knoerlein of Glyndon, MD; and sister-in-law, Peggy Carlson of Duluth, MN. She was preceded in death by her husband, Jeff Glad; mother, Gladys Rush; sister, Mary Kennedy; and brother-in-law, Donald Hasselius.

A celebration of life is planned for the summer months in Mapleton, per Ariel’s request, with interment to follow in Aitkin, MN.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. John Lutheran Church (of Mapleton) Prayer Garden and Quilting Mission.