NEW HAMPTON — Gloria Mae Campbell-Hauser, 90, of New Hampton, died October 1, 2026, at MercyOne Hospital in Waterloo after several weeks of health struggles.
Her final day carried special meaning. October 1 marked Gloria’s 90th birthday, the anniversary of her wedding and, ultimately, the day of her passing. She spent much of that day surrounded by family, smiling and speaking with her sons and grandchildren before dying later that evening with her daughter at her side.
Friends may greet the family from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Friday, October 9, at Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory in New Hampton. A rosary will be held at 3:30 p.m. and will be open to the public.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, October 10, at Holy Family Parish in New Hampton, with Rev. Chris Podhajsky celebrating the Mass. Visitation will continue for one hour before the Mass at the church.
Interment will follow at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in New Hampton.
Gloria was born October 1, 1936, in New Hampton, the youngest of five children born to Mary Elizabeth Roehrich and Elmer Ellsworth Campbell.
Her father worked for the Chicago Great Western Railroad, helping spark Gloria’s lifelong fondness for trains. Some of her early memories included riding the train with her sister Helen to visit an uncle in Minnesota.
Family history remained important to Gloria throughout her life.
One story she especially wanted preserved was that of her brother Ellsworth “Bud” Campbell, a highly decorated B-17 tail gunner whose plane, the “Wee Miss America,” was shot down during World War II on his final mission in 1944.
Bud was buried in France for five years before his remains were returned home. In the winter of 1949, a 13-year-old Gloria stood with her family at the Milwaukee Railroad depot in New Hampton as her brother came home in a flag-draped coffin.
Gloria graduated from New Hampton High School in 1954, where she distinguished herself as an exceptional typist, speller and shorthand student.
Her abilities were strong enough that one teacher encouraged her to pursue work as a secretarial specialist with the FBI. That opportunity would have required a move to Des Moines, but Gloria had already met the young man she hoped to marry.
She married James “Bryan” Hauser on October 1, 1955 — her birthday — at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
The couple lived on the Hauser-Lynch family farm, where Bryan taught Gloria to drive a tractor and shoot a gun. One of their memorable adventures came in 1961, when they took a two-week road trip through seven states in a large white Dodge convertible.
Gloria’s professional career began as a transcriber of physicians’ medical notes at Medical Associates in New Hampton.
In 1958, she went to work for attorney William J. Kennedy while also assisting the New Hampton abstractor and the County Assessor’s Office.
Her attention to detail and work ethic soon led her into county government.
At age 25, Gloria became a Chickasaw County deputy auditor in 1961.
She would go on to serve Chickasaw County for 35 years — 19 years as deputy auditor and another 16 years as county auditor and commissioner of elections.
During those decades, Gloria helped oversee major changes in how county government operated.
She played a role in transitioning Chickasaw County from paper ballots to voting machines, helped guide the conversion of hand-drawn plat books to computerized maps and assisted with implementation of the E-911 system in 1989.
Serving the people of Chickasaw County became one of the defining chapters of her life.
Outside the courthouse, Gloria enjoyed the company of others and had a reputation for enjoying a good laugh.
She participated in local pool and bowling leagues, belonged to the American Legion Auxiliary and was the oldest living local member of the Catholic Daughters of America.
Her interest in family history also carried into adulthood. Gloria treasured a trip to Ireland, Scotland and England, where she traced family roots from before her grandparents came to America.
Even while working full time and raising three children, she maintained a busy home life.
Her family remembered Sunday meals after church, particularly her farm-fresh fried chicken.
Gloria also loved baseball, football and reading.
During retirement, she regularly visited the library carrying both a book bag and a notebook she used to keep track of what she had already read. Before wet macular degeneration affected her eyesight, Gloria was reading more than 200 books a year.
Gloria and Bryan were married for 23 years before his death in 1978 at age 42.
She remained deeply devoted to her family throughout the decades that followed.
Gloria is survived by her children Wade (Deanna) Hauser of New Hampton, David (Carol) Hauser of New Hampton and Diane (Terri) Hauser of Beaumont, Texas.
Her grandchildren include Jared (Kristi), Catherine Van Natta (Kolton), Bryan (Beth), Connor and Andrea Flack (Amos), along with Hayden and Gatlin.
Her great-grandchildren are Jacob, Journey, Madison, Addalyn and Camden.
She is also survived by many nieces, nephews and friends.
Gloria was grateful for the care she received from her niece Robyn Proffitt and grandson Connor, which helped make it possible for her to remain in her own home with her loyal cat, Pepper, until near the end of her life.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Bryan; brothers Ellsworth and James; sisters Viola “Sis” Katz and Helen Pleggenkuhle; her parents; and Lorraine Weiglein, whom Gloria considered an especially important grandparent and babysitter to her children during the years Gloria worked at the courthouse and Bryan farmed.
From the courthouse to her family table, Gloria spent a lifetime connecting New Hampton’s past with its future.
Her full obituary and guestbook are available through Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory.
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