Gladys Adedoja Olaitan

Gladys Adedoja Olaitan (nee Adeyinka), age 83, passed away peacefully on Monday, September 23, 2024.

Gladys was born in Abeokuta, Nigeria on December 28, 1940. She was educated and raised in Ibadan, where she eventually met her future husband. Gladys began her educational journey at St. Stephen’s Primary School, Inalende, Ibadan, where she was known for her diligence and leadership qualities. She proceeded to Anglican Girls’ Modern School, Ibadan, an institution that further molded her into a poised and disciplined young woman. She thereafter attended the Stenography and Typing Institute in Ibadan, gaining essential skills that would later shape her professional career. Gladys furthered her education by pursuing training in catering at Idi-aba Vocational Institute, Abeokuta, sparking her lifelong passion for culinary arts and entrepreneurship. Her reputation for excellence in the culinary field grew rapidly, and she secured contracts to run two major corporate canteens – one at Nigerian Telecommunications (NITEL) and the other at the Ministry of Mines and Power, Oyo State. 

A devout Christian, Gladys strove to show her love for Christ’s teachings through leading by example with palpable humility. She also demonstrated an uncommon affinity for caring for the less privileged. 

Gladys is survived by her beloved husband of 62 years, Emmanuel Olaitan; children, Olanike (Aderemi) Oduba, Yetunde (Mackson) Nguma, Olufunmilayo (Obafemi) Arobadi, and Eyiyemi (Olusegun) Adelerin; daughter-in-love, Towo Falode; grandchildren, Eniola, Ebun, Semi, Tayo, Anjola, Tinu, Nkechi, Nifemi, Feranmi, Bisola, Gabby, Timilehin and Nonye; siblings, Ayoade, Fadeke and Yomi; numerous loving nieces and nephews, including Folake, Dapo and Jeda. 

She is preceded in death by her parents, Adebowale and Ibironke Adeyinka; her siblings, Modupe, Biyi, Doyin, and Dele; her children, Taiwo Ogunmadewa, and Olutola Falode.

A visitation for Gladys will be held on Friday, October 18, 2024, from 4pm until 8pm at Davenport Family Funeral Home and Crematory, 941 S. Old Rand Rd., Lake Zurich, IL 60047. A second visitation will be held the following morning at the funeral home from 11am until the time of service at 12noon. Burial to follow at Memory Gardens Cemetery, 2501 E Euclid Avenue, Arlington Heights, IL 60004.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Gladys’s name may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital