Gladys Barrios

Gladys, the second eldest Horrigan sibling was a strawberry blonde with an hour glass figure. She and husband Richard Barrios produced two boys, Richard Leon (R.L.) Jr. and Terrell Barrios of two different personalities. There were family stories of Gladys' childhood where she would verbally collide with her mother, Tillie. The stories all had Gladys infuriating her mother with the last word while exiting the door. Gladys was a secretary with the Jahnke Company of New Orleans. She appeared as the more sophisticated member of the clan as she read with a fervor devouring books, articles or any tidbits she found enabling her to converse with some degree of knowledge with any and all who would engage. Her favorite restaurant had to be "Johnny's" on North Rampart St. skirting the French Quarters. Her favorite drink, the Martini was always ordered before a meal. She studied French as a means to understand the in law gossip of her French Cajun husband. She would practice French by engaging conversation with anyone of French culture. At her twenty-fifth anniversary celebration she boasted how she still fit in her wedding dress without the aid of a girdle. Unfortunately, twenty-five years of marriage was the threshold of eating discipline.. None the less, she remained a beautiful woman. She was a night person, spending the night in television and reading. She was a tour guide par excellence welcoming one and all to tour the deep south, Smokey Mountains, Mexico or the City of New Orleans, She had one speed while driving which was pedal to the metal. With her rosary clutched between the fingers of one hand and the steering wheel in the other, windows down and hair whipping in the breeze, the trip was like flying in a corsair. Gladys was a willing listener, quietly sitting and only injecting a comment or question at the proper time. She was a wonderful person who would stand her ground. Gladys used a unique form of communication generally used by men to signal others. With lips tightly pressed against her teeth and the curvature of her tongue, her whistle could be heard in at least a six block range signaling dinner was ready or all children should be inside within thirty seconds! Gladys died in a New Orleans hospital of colon cancer. She is sadly missed by anyone who knew her.

   We would be remiss by not including a story of the determination and closeness of Gladys and her siblings. At the death of her father, Gladys' mother Mathilda was yet a young woman managing six, young children. Officials were alerted and removed Gladys and her siblings from Matilda's care. Mathilda was distraught and angry, her children were now in the care of a state run orphanage. Within a few days, Gladys and her oldest brother devised a plan to escape the confines of the alleged escape proof orphanage. Late one night after bed check Gladys and Richard gathered their siblings, Dorothy, Roy, Mildred and Patrick. From a third floor window they tied sheets together clutching Mildred and Patrick while shimmying down their sheet rope. They joined their mother and made a pact to never be separated again. Richard went to work as a carpenter apprentice with a distant Irish relative from the Barrett family as Gladys remained home to help raise her siblings. Mathilda eventually received a job as a school janitor which afforded her family living quarters on the property in New Orleans. All siblings embraced chores and worked together as a unit. They appreciated what they had and didn't fret about what they didn't, 

   If stories be told....Gladys and Dick moved to the Treme section of New Orleans near St. Augustine Church on Governor Nichols St. The home was a two story building with the residence on the second floor. The area was dimly lit in an older section of Orleans with a canopy of oak trees that tended to diffuse the lighting. It was the perfect setting for Halloween. Relatives and friends would gather at the residence with anticipation of seeing the Halloween "witch" The gathering would be in the living room with the lights turned low. The "trick or treaters" were no longer ringing the front door bell and the elders now held the youngsters' attention with past stories of this mysterious witch. The moon barely seen through the front door glass added to the anticipation. Aunt Gladys as well as Granny would occasionally check the door locks and surrounding windows as the stories continued. Hearts beat madly while the wide eyes of both adults and children listened attentively. All of a sudden someone would scream and point to the door glass as a darkly hatted figure with a grossly exaggerated bent nose and dark stare could be seen peering inside. All would jump back and grasp each other. Looking back, the figure would disappear as fast as it appeared. The adults would peruse the room looking for the usual suspects but found all to be seated, clenching hands. We all knew it had to be Aunt Gladys or Granny but neither was ever caught or identified. Till this day it remains a mystery as to how they performed such magic. But, to all who remember this spectacle, no magic or magician could perform a more convincing task! There were pictures of the event all sadly lost in Hurricane Katrina,     

The stories of her determined and loving strength could not be contained in this short reference.

• Residence: Police Jury Ward 3, St Tammany, Louisiana, United States - 1920
• Residence: New Orleans (Districts 1-250), Orleans, Louisiana, United States - 1930
• Residence: New Orleans - 13 Apr 1986