Gladys L Player

Undoubtedly while singing "How Great Thou Art", Gladys L. Player., age 95, entered the Kingdom of Heaven on November 26, 2015, at her home with family by her side. Born on July 25, 1920 in Summerville, SC to Carrie and Phillip Goldman, Ms. Player died on Thanksgiving morning, one of her favorite holidays as it brought her family home to her for the feasts that she would work days to prepare. She was predeceased by many years by her husband, Richard "Slim" Player. Ms. Player worked tirelessly for most of her life to provide for her family. From working in restaurants to textile mills and sewing rooms, and then after work at home on the farm or in her large gardens, she always did whatever needed to be done to be sure that those she loved were taken care of. While in her 70s, she worked in a national jewelry chain store and won a Bahamas cruise for being one of the top salespeople, a surprise to no one who knew her well. Ms. Player, who was known to not only her family but many others as Nana, was an amazing cook, who would gladly share her delicious Southern cooking with family, friends and acquaintances alike. She made sure at each holiday meal that every family member had his favorite dish, not only to eat while at her house but also a second helping (or more) to take home. Her pound cakes were legendary, and she liked nothing more than baking them for everyone she knew, often taking one with her to doctor appointments or other meetings for whoever might be there that day. When she could no longer bake cakes herself, she asked others to bake them for her and then handed out slices to friends and caregivers.

Ms. Player was an avid gardener as well, and she was always willing to share her cuttings and bulbs with others for their own yards and later made sure the common areas of her retirement home were well decorated with plants that she tended.

Nana loved her family dearly, and she will be missed immeasurably by her three children: Aaron (Betty) Rudd of Cordova, Kay (Wayne) Johnston of Columbia, and Carolyn (Tyrone) Gray of Cordova; her 8 grandchildren: Ronnie (Kathy) Rudd of Lexington, Patricia (Troy) Huff of Orangeburg; Theresa Rashdan of Parrish, Florida; Stephanie (John) Thomas of Columbia; Steve (Erika) Johnston of Portland, Oregon; Tracy (Chris) Sandifer of Cope; Tara (Jim) Cocco of Sarasota, Florida; and Andrea (Emmet) Maas of Columbia; her 15 great-grandchildren: Jennifer Rudd, Ashley (Travis) Ard, Curtis Huff, Tarek and Amir Rashdan, Taylor, Austin and Cooper Sandifer, Spencer and Carson Thomas, Nate Johnston, Blake and Logan Cocco, and Cullen and Cara Maas; and her 3 great-great-grandchildren, Collin and Adelyn Ard and their sibling to be born in July; and her beloved cat, Liberty, who slept on her lap each night of their many years together and kept watch over her in her final days.

Her family would like to extend their deepest appreciation to the staff at Villa 2 of Carolina Gardens in West Columbia as their love, care and willingness to help Ms. Player brought much joy to her in her years living there and helped her and her family greatly in her final weeks.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Ebenezer Baptist Church, 3144 Cordova Road, Cordova, SC 29039.

Visitation will be at 1:30 pm on Sunday, November 29th at Ebenezer Baptist Church, with the funeral service to follow at 2:30 pm with Rev. Frank Hay and Rev. Brian Self officiating with the burial immediately following at Crestlawn Memorial Gardens in Orangeburg directed by Thompson Funeral Home, Inc. in Orangeburg.

Pallbearers will be Richard Smoak, Gerald O. Smoak, Joe Vanfaussien, Joel Waldrop, Roger Brant and Billy Bozard.