She is the matriarch of our family and the glue that holds us together. She is hilarious, opinionated, unpredictable, but never mean spirited. We call her Nana Gladys. Born in Knoxville, Tennessee and married to Floyd, she is "88 and holdin'".
Nana has most recently become known to the rest of the world through Ellen DeGeneres.
Gladys is also a regular caller to our local radio station KLBJ on the Dudley & Bob show. Her commentaries are hilarious and earned her the title "Favorite Caller Of The Year".
One of the most exciting things that has happened to our family besides Nana becoming a part of the Ellen DeGeneres Show was being in the local paper!
We told Nana Gladys that some people want to know if she is real, and she said, "Honey, critics are critical and cynics are cynical. I am as real as the day is long!" The laughter and love that she has given to us all is real too! Chances are, that you have or had a Gladys-like character in your family as well. We do not take the emotional connection that people feel for her lightly. We have received hundreds of emails from people telling us how Gladys has touched them, or gave them a good belly laugh. Our Nana Gladys is not a hoax. She does not want to fool or hurt anyone, and she prefers to stay somewhat of a mystery. In her words, "Well if our phone calls to that funny Ellen girl make people happy, and we are in the paper above the war, then we should all count our lucky stars!"
Gladys has a lot of love to give and most people seem to understand that. We are happy to share our Nana Gladys with you and your family, and hope that you enjoy her special spirit.
We are also very grateful to have the opportunity to "pay it forward" to Austin Meals On Wheels & More and to The Austin Zoo, a rescue and animal sanctuary. Both these charities are very dear to our hearts.
Thank you for being a friend to our Nana Gladys and we hope that you all "Keep On Keepin' On!"
Much Love,
The Hardys
