Ailene Gladys (Myers) Redding |1918-2021|

Ailene Gladys (Myers) Redding was born on September 26, 1918 the second of seven children, to Vade and Aleda Myers in rural McPherson County Kansas. Ailene attended elementary school at a one room school, the Lookout Grade School. She attended Windom Rural High School, and graduated with high honors in 1937.

In 1941 Ailene moved to Hutchinson, to attend Business College. She enrolled in the one year complete business course at Adela Hale Business College and graduated in August 1942. Upon graduation she was immediately hired by the JS Dillon Stores accounting office and began a successful career with Dillon’s that spanned 39 years. She loved her work and earned many opportunities to progress in her career. She became the first woman executive at Dillon’s in 1965. She retired June 12, 1981.
Ailene married the love of her life, Cliff Redding, on December 1, 1976 and they were married for 32 years until his passing on December 16, 2008 at the age of 103.

Ailene had many interests and hobbies and was very involved with many different organizations in the Hutchinson community over the years. Her biggest hobby was photography and she was a member of the Zoom camera club. She became the family historian and with her camera documented the lives of her siblings and their families from 1956-1980. She also played golf, took oil painting and ceramics classes, enjoyed bowling with the Dillon’s bowling league. Ailene enjoyed attending Hutchinson Community Concerts, Hutchinson Community College basketball, and was an avid Kansas University Jayhawks basketball fan. Ailene was also very active and held many offices and positions of leadership with the Hutchinson chapter of Altrusa International, a philanthropic and volunteer service organization for professional women, which she joined in 1969.

After her retirement, Ailene and Cliff enjoyed traveling to Arkansas for family retreats with the Redding family. They especially enjoyed boating and fishing. They were long time members of Westside Baptist Church in Hutchinson. After Cliff passed, Ailene moved to Topeka in 2014 to be closer to family.

Ailene was a truly amazing person and was always interesting and interested in the people and the world around her. She had a unique way of making each person she was with feel special and like they were her favorite person in the world. We were all her favorites! She was ahead of her time as a great example of a successful businesswoman in the workplace who was always a lady. She was always devoted to her parents and to her extended family.

Ailene passed away on November 30, 2021 and is survived by her brother Gene Myers, Chewelah, Washington, her sister Rozann Cedarholm, Lindsborg, as well as nine nieces and nephews and their families.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Vern Myers (Pearl), Wesley Myers (Elizabeth), and sisters Laura Lee Norland (Emery) and Bonnie McMurray (Ken), two nephews and one niece.