Gladys Longacre

Gladys Wilson Longacre, born on June 30, 1926 in Schenectady, New York, passed from this life into the eternal care of Jesus Christ on January 29, 2013, at Chambersburg Hospital. She was a resident of Chambersburg and formerly of Broomall, PA. She was the wife of the late John R. Longacre, who died on February 15, 2003.


Prior to moving to Chambersburg, Gladys was active in Broomall, PA. She was an elected Committee Person in the Marple Republican Party and a member of many other organizations. She was a member of Newtown Square Presbyterian Church for many decades.

Upon moving to Chambersburg, she became a member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church where she volunteered answering the phone and played piano for her Sunday School class. She was a member of the Institute of Retired People (IRP), as well as the Chambersburg and Shippensburg Chapters of AARP, the Chambersburg Garden Club, the Franklin County Republican Party and several other organizations. She loved animals, her family, traveling and being with her friends. When first married she was a legal secretary in Philadelphia, PA. She enjoyed doing crafts, was a member of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen, and participated in the Joy Toys program at St. Paul’s. She remained active until the last week of her life. Gladys succumbed suddenly to a combination of influenza, heart damage and cancer. She was 86.

She was the daughter of Frank H. and Bessie Nulton Wilson. She is survived by two sons, John Russell Longacre II (and his wife Arpi) of Broomall, PA, and David E. Longacre III (and his wife Lesia) of Chambersburg, PA; five grandchildren, Lauren, John, Rebekah (and her husband Joshua Swisher), Rachel and Hannah; and two great-grandchildren, Benjamin and Cara.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, February 10, 2013, at 2:00 PM, at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Chambersburg, PA. There will also be a memorial service on Sunday, March 10, 2013, at 2:00 PM, at Newtown Square Presbyterian Church, Newtown Square, PA. The family requests no flowers. Gifts may be sent in her memory to either St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 750 Norland Avenue, Chambersburg, PA, 17201, or Newtown Square Presbyterian Church, 3600 Goshen Road, Newtown Square, PA, 19073. A private committal service was held at Whitemarsh Memorial Gardens in Ambler, PA, with arrangements by Fogelsanger-Bricker Funeral Home in Shippensburg, PA.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.fogelsanger-brickerfuneralhome.com.