Eulogies for Gloria Levitt (Hejna)

This web page contains eulogies spoken by Gloria's family and friends at memorial services in Phoenix, Arizona and Los Altos Hills, California. They were spoken by:

Rhonda Bannard (sister)
Deborah Voronoff (cousin)
Brenda Reed (Arizona friend)
Chris Dugan (Arizona friend)
Kim Jernigan (California friend and housemate)
Eric Wolff (California friend)
Janet Thompson (California friend)
Malcolm Slaney (California friend)

Rhonda Bannard

You should have seen this tree. It was huge. The name plate by it read New Zealand…it quickly made me think of my sister, Gloria, who bungee jumped in New Zealand. It's my only connection to that far away country. There we were side by side in Golden Gate Park…just 17 days ago watching our children scamper up this huge tree, exploring every nook and cranny. First it was my children – Morgan and Heath – experienced at climbing – inviting cousins Joey and Joshua to join them. Sharing the three to four different ways to get up the great tree. They kept calling out…"mommy look!"

Gloria and I talked as we watched the children. But we weren't laughing or admiring the activities before us. Instead we were sharing serious adult conversation – one filled with despair and requests for promises to be upheld.

Gloria made me promise that no matter what, we'd keep Joey and Joshua connected to their cousins – that means Morgan and Heath…around their ages, and their older cousin, Aubrey, now 12, who they look up to.

Family was important to my sister. She was always the one coming home for holidays – the typical like Thanksgiving, and the Jewish holidays too..like one next week – Passover. This year – we'll have an empty seat at the table, but will hope that Joey and Joshua can be there with us next year to share in the celebration. We hope they can spend time with their grandparents who are getting on in age, yet yearn to be connected to the grandchildren. We hope to share in the boy's lives and carry on the legacy of love that Gloria would have wanted – to stay connected with family, to learn about their mother and her specialness, and to build and nurture relationships with cousins who will be critical connections now and in the future.

On behalf of the Levitt family – my mother and father, and my sister Sandy here with me today…we thank you for being here to celebrate and honor Gloria, for rallying around Joey and Joshua….and for being such a good friend and support to Gloria – whether you were a travel companion, a dance partner, an Ultimate teammate, a colleague, a regular playdate mom, or patient friend on the other end of the phone line. We appreciate you and wish for your stories to be shared with us so we can know more about our sister and her time here in California, as well as save those memories for her boys in their older years.

To remember Gloria in her early days is comforting. We wish you could have known her then.

Gloria taught us to seize the moment, she did. No one could argue with that. Gloria had a unique zest for having the most experiences she could. Her high school classmates and many of you would agree. How else do you walk away with 16 Varsity letters and graduating in the top ten of your class.

From doubling up on track and gymnastics practice, to driving in California traffic while curling her hair and eating a yogurt….she engaged her senses….and gave me a few scary moments in the passenger seat.

Sandy and Gloria went on a few trips together.

One took them to Glacier National Park in Montana where they did a series of hikes over 5 days. Every day there was an option to do a short hike or a long hike. Gloria mostly chose the long hikes. The rangers at the park would orient the hikers about bears being in the area and what to do if you came upon one. Rule 1 – make noise, Rule 2 – never run from a bear. So along they went on the hike; Gloria on the longer hike…Sandy off on a shorter hike. And guess what, Mr. Grizzly came to say hi. With their good training, they made noise. But this time, it didn't seem to matter…and even the guide started running. Who do you think was running ahead of the pack…Gloria. Mr. Grizzly apparently had never been to a Sunnyslope track meet.

We grew up in Phoenix… Diana Avenue…what a great street to be a kid. The three houses around use were filled with playmates and classmates, competition on the slip and slide and maybe even involved a crush or two. Our dentist lived across the street and had four kids – Gloria played with every one of them – and she got her beautiful smile from their dad.

Next door to us were four boys. The youngest was Gloria's classmate. Kevin learned some painful lessons from Gloria early on – she could hold her own, and if you messed with her, you might have a hard time walking home from the bus stop.

She loved to laugh and did a lot of it. Some of it involved the three of us, holding on to our hairbrushes in front of a large mirror, belting out the words to Chirp a Chirp a Cheep Cheep. What the hell are those words anyway?

Gloria would often fall on the bed laughing at how silly we were. And snorts were not uncommon.

As a budding speaker in high school, I dabbled a bit in interpretive work, including one year when I performed a short story by Woody Allen. It involved Count Dracula…and plenty of snorts from Gloria. She always wanted me to perform it for her as she lay in bed. I guess you could say it was her version of a bedtime story…laughing until sleep came.

How else does one show zest? Gloria, depending on the circumstance, would either bounce her fist off of her chest, bark like a dog, or proceed to not only perform farts under her arms by cupping her hand there. But if she was really trying to make a point, she'd get down on her back and do it under her arm and under her knee at the same time. I remember once she actually did this in a bathtub squirting water in the process as well.

Her zest was also shown in her travels…from one country or region to the next, she gave her passport a workout. Trips included Costa Rica, climbing to the base camp of Mt. Everest, making it to the top of Kilimanjaro, bungee jumping off a bridge in New Zealand, a summer tour through Europe, treks to Israel, India, the Phillipines and elsewhere.

As soon as she graduated from the UofA, she was off to California. To this day, we still don't know what made her so adamant about making that move, but we do know she embraced the California lifestyle and the amazing outdoors. She was off on weekend trips, participated in triathlons, century rides – you know the stories better than we do – long live the "slugs."

But Gloria was no slug.

Sandy would say that a second attribute on top of the "zest for life" was Gloria's competitiveness.

When she was probably around 6 years old, our Auntie Molly would visit from Montreal and engage Gloria in a game of checkers. If Molly got a double jump, Gloria would throw a fit and send the entire checkerboard flying into the air.

I don't remember much competition between us growing up, but I do remember her efforts to outsmart me every year after Trick or Treating…because I always managed to find her candy and steal some. I think I had the upper hand most of the time.

Competitiveness fueled her life.

She excelled in athletics…while she had ability and talent, much of her success was due to her competitiveness. Damn it, no one was going to beat her.

One such memory captures this point well. She was at a district or divisional track meet and had done well in the 440, the long jump, and likely the hurdles or relay too. But apparently another teammate had gotten hurt and had to pull out of the 880 race. A coach asked Gloria to run it. Without ever training for that kind of race, Gloria obliged her. With another athlete ahead, Gloria zeroed in her and overcame a huge gap to win the race, collapsing in exhaustion over the finish line.

And then there was work. Never mind she was 9 months pregnant with Joey. She zeroed in on the client and landed a $20 million dollar account for her employer.

But then she had Joey – and the third and most amazing characteristic of Gloria came to be – her Love of children and family.

Sandy recalls Gloria really wanting to start a family. And Sandy was there for both births in California.

Sandy remembers sleeping with Gloria the night before Joey's birth…hugging Glo and getting her comforted for the great journey she was about to enter in motherhood.

Gloria loved her children from moment they were born. She was 100 percent dedicated to loving, caring and nurturing them. Her focus was amazing. When she had the boys, she jumped through hoops to care for them, engage them in life, share with them her own zest for adventure. She took time off, worked overnights just to be able to go to the boy's schools or activities …fighting for every half hour she could. She sang to her kids every morning, played music for them, and literally let other things in life wait while she focused on them.

She brought them to Phoenix and encouraged us to visit her. Once she spent two weeks with my parents after her second child was born, needing help to get through the early stages after birth.

Her boys loved her passionately. They always wanted their mom –their bond that was nothing short of amazing.

When they were together, they would never want her to leave her side…dragging her with them from room to room. Joshua would say…"Mommy I want to show you something"…and he'd lead her there. He used to sit on her lap always, and run his hand up her sleeve. It was his security blanket, we guess.

When Gloria was back in Phoenix, we bought a home for her not far from mine and added a trampoline to the back yard. She loved to jump with her boys and make them laugh. We spent many times with all the cousins on there, making them jump. I egged her on to throw a few cheerleading jumps from time to time. I remember once she asked me to spot her on a back flip. I was sort of amazed because just several months before that, when Sandy, Gloria and I were out with Sandy's husband, Brian, and two other friends…we were walking across a busy street to head from a restaurant to a bar to dance…Gloria threw an aerial cartwheel right in the middle of the road. Our friends were amazed. Sandy and I just sort of said…"that's our Gloria." So I spotted her in the flip on the trampoline…bringing back memories of doing the same so many years ago on our lawn at our childhood home. She had little problem with the flip…and her boys were in awe.

We know she was in awe of them. For Joey …perhaps it was his love for flowers – he and his brother, on a recent visit to Phoenix, spent hours with Sandy planting flowers at her home. She was amazed at the way they just dug in and helped out. At 6, Joey is already a master at legos. Gloria spent hours and hours on the floor with Joey, building lego Star Wars ships, airports, firetrucks…I'd go crazy doing this – she never minded. Their house is a virtual museum of Joey's lego work. He likes to read and has recently been on a maze kick…even drawing and designing his own mazes. He loves music – even Madonna. Can you just see the two of them dancing? We need to protect Joey's sensitivities and soft side. We need to nurture his amazing intellect, and we must remind him of the love his mother had for him.

Little Joshua has the most piercing brown eyes – just like Gloria. You can just see her right there when you look into his eyes. They recently celebrated Josh's fourth birthday in January – Gloria likely added to his extensive Thomas the Tank Engine collection. We need to keep that passion going for trains and reading and playing the Home Depot fix it guy. And spider man of course. Just two weeks ago when my children and I were there, Joshua gave my daughter a little Hebrew lesson and showed her how to make Hebrew letters. We should tend to that strong mindedness and nurture his smarts. Perhaps we should also pay attention to his strong mindedness and determination…so much like Gloria…but perhaps there is a better way.

Joey and Joshua…we want you to know…you were your mommy's light in her day, the love in her heart – and it was her love for you that kept her going.

There's so much we don't know about Gloria – we all have pieces of her life, moments and memories that come flying back into our consciousness.

In grade school, she was stuck in a hospital for a month in traction from a gymnastics accident that required a pin in her elbow – Sandy and I snuck in our cat – Huey, in a pillowcase, to visit her. I remember the time she saved a young child as a lifeguard at a public pool. I remember eating jello from the box with her during summer swimming competitions and big watermelon nights at the Sunnyslope pool. Sandy and I remember skinny dipping with Glo as young girls in our own back yard, giggling as my mom talked over the fence to the neighbor behind us. I remember climbing the grapefruit trees in our front yard….we lived in an old orchard. During the hot summers, we used to see who could walk across the street in barefeet the slowest. I remember going to synagoge with her and braiding my dad's tallis with her. I remember on the high holidays my dad and the three of us would make the long walk home from synagogue when you weren't supposed to drive. Those were great talks. I remember Gloria getting ready to go for runs, always having to put on ankle wraps …likely from her years in gymnastics. I remember she'd come home from two practices after school and walk right to the refrigerator to get something to eat and stand next to it drinking and eating – starved from a double workout. I remember she liked Captain Crunch when she was a kid. She still ate it, even at 42. Double stuff Oreos were her passion lately…and just the white stuff. But I remember her eating the chocolate chip cookie dough from the batches of cookies all of us used to make for the football and basketball teams at Sunnyslope. I remember the band striking up the SHS fight song…and I was right there with Gloria on the sidelines saying "fight on." I remember wearing her letter jacket to a game one time…and feeling so damn proud she was my sister.

Gloria could run any race you put her in and gut it out. She'd win or place. Over the last four years, she went the distance – sometimes sprinting, sometimes running in place – never seeming to get anywhere…the finish line moving farther and farther away. She was always trying to catch a break. She figured if she'd work hard, it would turn out okay for her and the boys…just like the rest of her life had. She grasped for a glimmer of hope…a sign…somebody who would say – "Gloria, we know you're a great and loving mom and we know you love your boys beyond our imagination and that you would never do anything to harm them. We will help you."

Her wish then was to hold on tight to Joey and Joshua….share their life moments with them – the ups and the downs. She wrapped them in a blanket of her love. That was her dream.

It was not meant to be.

Instead, we must carry your memories in our broken hearts, aching for you to walk through the door and flash your big smile.

You were our friend and our colleague. You were our sister, you were our daughter – you were a mommy – an extraordinary one… and our light. We're sorry we let you down. We're sorry we couldn't save you from your pain. We love you with all of our hearts and know that the pain has finally stopped.

Our love will not.

On March 21st when I packed to leave California with my children, I obviously forgot to pack one precious thing – my little sister. But what I did take with me is my promise.

Our love with continue in your honor…we will work hard to uphold the promise of putting family first and staying connected. And we invite, in face, we urge you to help us do that.

Just one block down from my house in Phoenix, there's a great climbing tree. It's not from New Zealand, but it's got great branches…enough for Morgan, Heath, Joey and Joshua. We hope to show it to you (them) soon.

Deborah Voronoff

As cousins we come from a large family. Gloria's dad is one of twelve children and as a result there are many offspring. So for my sixteenth birthday I choose to go to Arizona to visit my three girl cousins. Upon arriving, Gloria asked why would I come visit people I don't know? By the time I had to leave she apologized for her insensitive remark and thus our cousinly love affair had begun.

Our lives paralleled on so many levels, we both became accountants. Our career paths went in the same direction, we were married a year apart and had our children within six months from one another. Although distance kept us apart, we always understood what each other was going through.

Every time I close my eyes I think of Gloria and relive all the moments we shared. She had such a contagious personality and boundless energy. It seems that everyone she ever met felt the same way about her and that she managed to stay connected with everybody regardless of time or distance.

Her beautiful smile lit up every place she went.

We traveled to many places and I am grateful for all those calls when she said "we're going here, book your flight and off we went!" Like the time we went to Costa Rica, only Gloria could get me in a raft on a level 4 river and go over these seemingly non-threatening waterfalls or convince me to ride a twin-engine plane with a pilot who decided it was time for his 10 year old to learn how to fly over a mountain range. I held my own when she wanted to sleep in the middle of the rain-forest with no electricity at the base of an active volcano. She always said I had the better night sleep.

What I admired most was her ability to treat all people the same. She had a unique sense of purpose in making all those around her feel special. In reading the numerous e-mails and hearing all the thoughts that have been passed along, it seems that she was everyone's dear friend.

Her love for her Joey and her Joshua held no bounds. She talked about them passionately. She told me on several occasions, I wish I could stop working and just be a Mom. Although we had made several attempts to have family vacations together it was never meant to be and for that I am sad.

Her positive outlook on life, determination and winning style made her accomplish so many wonderful things in her short life.

Her greatest battle was within herself, she endured great stress and pressure over the past few years and in the end Gloria simply needed to rest.

I, as everyone who cares for you, hope that you have found the peace you so desperately yearned for. I hope you know that for all the love you gave, you too were loved.

You forever hold a place in my heart, as in everyone who knew you as one of the most generous, caring and loving people I have ever been blessed to have in my life. Thanks for the good times.

I love you,
D

Brenda Reed

As Gloria's best friend, I was privileged to share the following remarks at her funeral service in Phoenix on March 30, 2006.

Gloria Levitt Hejna was absolutely extraordinary! She had a PASSION for life....an energy and enthusiasm that were contagious. She was always trying to pack a lot in to each day of her life. I'd say one of her biggest pet peeves was wasting time.

I remember going trick or treating with Gloria when we were in grade school. I had my regular size plastic orange pumpkin to collect my candy. Gloria showed up with a huge pillowcase. I said, "Glo, are you planning on FILLING that thing tonight?" She replied, "Of course! What do you think? It's FREE candy!" So we proceeded to literally run as fast as we could from house to house for four hours until Gloria's pillowcase was full.

In high school I invited her on a trip to Disneyland with my family. Once again, Gloria had a plan to pack as much in as possible. So we ran from ride to ride all day, leaving my poor family in the dust! Trying to keep up with Gloria could be exhausting!

Gloria was the life of the party. She was warm, cheerful, positive and fun! She made everyone around her feel good. And she made us laugh with all of her silly antics like wearing so much hairspray she could lift up an entire side of her hair with one finger, her constant twirling of that same piece of hair we were all sure would eventually fall out, pounding her chest, spazing out on the floor with that laugh that was a mix between a high pitched cackle and a snort, and her uncontrollable desire to lead us in a cheer, no matter what the setting or occasion.

Mediocrity was NOT in Gloria's vocabulary. She had an unmatched determination to attain excellence in everything she set out to accomplish in this life. But more importantly, Gloria possessed the attribute of humility. She never let her success, achievements, or subsequent popularity go to her head. GLORIA TOOK THE TIME TO BE KIND TO EVERYONE.

I would like to thank Larry and Thelma for raising such a fine and beautiful daughter. She loved and appreciated you and Sandy and Rhonda more than you will ever know. It is obvious that you taught Gloria well to always set high standards of moral and ethical conduct for herself. She lived with integrity, dignity and self-respect. I am so grateful for her good example and influence that helped me in my youth to stay on the right path and avoid trouble.

Gloria and Joshua in the pool in San Diego

Gloria was a wonderful and devoted mother. She was what I would call a "hands on mom." When she was with Joey and Joshua, they were her focus and her world revolved around them. She would get down on the floor and really play with them and talk and listen to them on THEIR level with such genuine love and interest. If I ever called her when she was with her boys she'd say, "Oh, I can't talk now! I'm with Joey and Joshua and I need to spend every possible minute with them. I'll have to call you back later."

Cooking was not Gloria's area of expertise, so when she called me a few weeks ago and asked me to send her some healthy recipes she could cook for Joey and Joshua, it didn't really surprise me that once again she was putting others first, and her children, above all, were no exception.

I sincerely hope that this day, we will be able to celebrate the extraordinary life that Gloria lived so well and shared with us. I loved her. I will miss her. But I know in my heart that I will see Gloria again and I look forward with great anticipation to that sweet reunion!

Chris Dugan

My name is Chris Dugan and I had the great fortune to be involved in Gloria Levitt's life. We met in High school and dated through our college years at the U of A. We were together around seven years. For those of you who have known Gloria for a long time won't be surprised by what I remember about her, they will just be variations of what you already know of such a gifted, talented incredible woman.

I've been trying for the last few days to think of a word that best described Gloria. But there is not a single word that would do her justice. I could think of at least five words for every letter of the alphabet I could use to describe her. She was that amazing.

Most of us are lucky if we discover one or two things we are good at in this life. I know with Gloria it was just the opposite. There was nothing she could not do. Her list of achievements in this life is attest to that. Her talent had no boundaries. She was to put it simply, exceptional.

I remember when she was a senior in high school she was competing in a big divisional track meet and the coaches asked her to run the half mile at the last minute. The half mile was always near the end of the meet so Gloria had already competed in the 110 yard hurdles, the long jump and the 330 yard hurdles and as I recall she won two of the three.

She came over to the stands where I was watching with Larry Levitt and told us of her plans to compete in the half mile. I remember telling her to do her best stay with the pack if she could and to start kicking with 220 yards left. I did not expect too much- I figured she was spent. I was wrong. She won the race. It was a text book example. To this day, with all my years of running, that race was one of the greatest displays of raw determination that I have ever witnessed. Needless to say I never doubted her ability again.

Perhaps Gloria's greatest asset was her personality. She brought an incredible amount of energy into a room. People were drawn to her. I don't think she ever met a stranger. If you were lucky enough to be a friend you knew you had a powerful allie that always had your back. She was always quick with a tender hug or a swift kick- whatever was needed.

One of Gloria's favorite ways to annoy me was to bark at traffic. It always startled me – I never knew when it was coming. I had to make a rule. If she wanted the top down, there would be no barking. It didn't work. She wore me down. I began barking too.

Gloria Levitt was many things to many people in this room. She was a daughter, sister, a niece, a cousin, a mother, a wife and a friend. She loved her family. She loved to speak of her sisters and their accomplishments. She was proud. One of the great blessings in my life was to be a part of Gloria's history- and I'm a better person because of it. Gloria was many things to people in this room, she was my inspiration. She was my rock.

Kim Jernigan

Gloria was my and my two sisters, Suzanne and Jessica, house mate for a good part of her single life in California.

Most of my memories of Gloria are of a Gloria who is outgoing, athletic, determined, happy, friendly and full of life. Gloria and I both shared the passion for traveling so we traveled together, whether it was a weekend cruise to Mexico, a short hop to New Orleans, or a several weeks trip to exotic destinations such as New Zealand or Africa.

Gloria loved to plan so she planed everything in detail, to the minutes. She liked to pack our days with activities, from one thing to another. I remembered one day in New Zealand, we got up to go bungy jumping in morning, then white water rafting in the afternoon and dancing all night. That was Gloria, always wanted to live and to enjoy and never to waste any time.

She was a very adventurous and determined person. In Africa, we planned to climb to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro together. But many times over 4 days in very thin air environment, I was ready to give up. On the day we were to reach the summit, Gloria, even with her extreme upset stomach and diarrhea, wouldn't give up. She kept urging me on to reach the top, she coached me, kept telling me that we had traveled all this way to climb this mountain and WE ARE climbing this mountain, don't give up. Eventually, I did it, we did it, thanks to Gloria.

We traveled rough, sharing a tent for the whole trip. We talked, we laughed, we gave each other advice about men, we watched out for each other, we got on each other nerve…but I have to say, I haven't enjoyed traveling with anyone more than with Gloria (not even my husband, sometimes).

Gloria and I also shared the passion for cycling so we gathered a group of single friends and we called it, the SLUGS (Several Lusty Unmarried Gnarly “Syclist”). We rode many hills in the bay area, many fun-raising rides and we all rode the gruesome 120 miles Death ride in the Sierra, Nevada, at least once, if not more times, and for what? A little pin that you can barely tell what it was for. But more than cycling, we have formed a close bond of friendship that had lasted for more than a 15 years. Gloria was our fearless leader, our coach, our cheerleader, our organizer…I am here with a few of SLUGS, to say good bye to her and to let her know how much we loved her in our circle.

Gloria was my strength, my inspiration in so many different ways. She taught me to never give up, to try harder. She opened my horizon to new things, new friends, new activities… I really am honored to know her and to be her friend.

I had seen her disappointment, I had seen her going through emotional pain in the past, but, I, like many of you, would never know or understand the extend of all her suffering, her pain or her hopelessness in recent time…But I do hope that wherever she is this moment, that she is at peace, that she knows we loved her and that she is sorely missed.

Eric Wolff

I had a very expansive world before I met Gloria, but her energy took me further.

Before I talk about that, I want to say that she was a supermom which was a reflection of her personality when she was a mom and so most importantly we have to think about the boys. They won't even know how much they will miss her. Over time it is our collective task to teach them what they have lost. And someday, why.

To back up, first I tried to date her (and I tried hard) but when I was rebuffed, her energy was attractive enough that we fell into a long term and successful friendship that continued way past our single days, past our married days and into our playdate days.

I want to thank her even in absentia for creating and introducing me to the SLUGS. Her energy and enthusiasm compelled me to leave work twice a week to ride which helped create a work-life balance that I treasure to this day. That from which my family and I continue to benefit.

She wanted me as her friend to train and ride in the Death Ride and because of her I got to do it 3 times. Those rides enabled me to learn things about myself I wouldn't have otherwise learned.

She was so accommodating to Don's dedication to windsurfing that she encouraged me to windsurf and so we learned together. It became one of my favorite avocations after I got tired of other pursuits and as the SLUGS all started getting married and the group thinned out. She gave me new things to do.

The magic of Gloria was that by being accommodating to Don, she found a way to make me have fun by bringing me in.

She was a leader beyond organizing the SLUGS. she led a long chain of people over a couple of years to the SF Friday Night Skate: she took me, and over time I invited my friends Bill, Darren, the Louie's and my wife Beth. My friends and I did it because she did it.

I am trying to illustrate that she was like a big strong ship. Her leadership, energy and initiative were a ship and the people behind like a big rolling wake of fun and activity. She was like a "Leader ship".

All I've talked about is sports. But our friendship was deep enough for her to be the only one to cry for happiness at our engagement party. She had a depth of feeling for her friends as she did for everything in her life.

Lastly and most importantly, I want to illustrate the way she was a mom on playdates. When I went on playdates with her and to parks, she played with all 4 boys, which is a giant handful. But this is an illustration of her dedication to parenting and her enjoyment of children that we all – friends…sisters…cousins…nieces…nephews -- everyone who was a parent or child in Gloria's circle will miss, even more than her leadership which is trivial to childrearing. She was fun at kid parties and A LOT of fun at bachlorette parties (as my wife tells me) -- she was a fun person to be with. And what I will miss the most is Gloria, the fun person to be a parent with.

Janet Thompson

My name is Janet and I met Gloria in 1986 when she moved to California, with bangs and a long dark pony tail which she used to wear a bow in. We both worked at Arthur Andersen and Co. We became good friends as we worked on audits together and realized we had many common athletic interests. I introduced her to ultimate frisbee and we played on a womens team together for many years, playing many pick-up and lunchtime games and going to weekend tournaments. We both still played ultimate frisbee together in a league this winter. After working at Arthur Andersen, she followed me over to a new Company where she worked for me for a few years. We spent many hours together at work and after, running or playing frisbee. Gloria worked hard but also saved up every hour of her vacation for her annual international trips, travelling and having new experiences every minute she could.

Gloria had boundless and endless energy. She was always encouraging people to do things and engage in many activities. She was always trying to get groups of people together and at times operated as a match maker. She liked to spend every moment doing something and did not like to sit around or waste any time. This included twirling her hair which became her signature move. Hiking, cycling, frisbee, running, roller blading, wind surfing and travelling were only some of her interests. She was a big sports fan and U of A fan. I would cringe when we would invite her to the Stanford vs Uof A mens basketball game and she would sit in our Stanford section and in her best cheerleader voice, start that awful UofA, UofA chant.

I was proud to be in her wedding and hold a post of the hoopa. My son who was 2 at the time, was a ring bearer in her wedding. Gloria was like a little sister to me (she still acted like a kid) and since she had no family locally I felt responsible for her. We talked often and kept current on each others lives. We continued to get together to run or play frisbee as our schedules permitted. I miss Gloria deeply but will always remember that energy she possessed and the hair twirling and chest pounding that made us all laugh and shake our heads at her.

Malcolm Slaney

My name is Malcolm Slaney. I've known Gloria for two years and we dated for the last 6 months.

I don't have to tell any of you that Gloria was a wonderful person. That is why you are here. I want to tell you a few things that you might not know about her.

Gloria was an amazing woman. She was beautiful and so full of life. She taught me how to run. We took care of our boys together. We built Legos and read them books. My son, Kent, liked it best when we each read a page of Hardy Boys to him in turn. We shared many trips, both with and without our boys. We all had a glorious vacation together in San Diego last December where we shared the beach and the pool and trips to LegoLand. Gloria was happy because our boys were happy. We spent a lot of time talking about marriage and about raising more children together. We loved each other. She asked me to marry her.

Most importantly, Gloria was a parent. A great parent. She enjoyed kids, her own and others. As one parent put it a couple of weeks ago, she was the mother down playing with the kids while the other parents talked to each other. She would do anything for Joey and Joshua, and she was always looking for ways to entertain them, reward them, or make them smile. She did the same for my son. I think I am a pretty good parent, but there is so much I could learn from Gloria. I'm sorry that she's not here to teach me how to be more patient, how to make our boys smile, and how to love them more.

More than anything else, Gloria wanted to belong. She wanted to be part of a family and to be true to her culture. Both were important to her. I am disappointed that I won't get to learn about Passover from her and her family.

Gloria was a leader.. often a cheerleader.. in all the best senses of the word. She inspired us to all do our best and squeeze in one more activity. She never wanted to slow down. I have lost count of how many times she was disappointed when I said I was exhausted and needed to go to sleep. That is why we loved her.

I was privileged to see Gloria slow down once in a while. She liked watching the Olympics with Joey and Joshua. Even if it meant that they had to stay up late. She wanted to curl up together, as a family either to watch some TV or to read a book together. We enjoyed many meals together as a family. Gloria even made brushing teeth fun. She introduced my son to toothbrush checks after he brushed his teeth.

Gloria could be quite adamant about things she cared about. She insisted to Kent and I that the right way to eat Double-Stuff Oreos--and those were the only ones worth buying--was to eat just the middle of the Oreo, and throw away the wafers. Her comfort food, when I knew her, was Su Hong's hot and sour soup. She liked tuna-melt sandwiches for lunch. She loved mangos. She hated strawberries... (How can anybody not like strawberries?)

Gloria was driven to be her best at everything she did: School, athletics, work, parenting, and friendship. If there is only one thing I can say to you, Joey and Joshua, I hope that you will always work to be your best. Just like your mother.

Gloria was so full of life. It never seemed like anything could stop her. Not sleep. Not mountains. Nothing.... That is what makes her death especially hard to accept. When somebody so full of life disappears suddenly, there can't help but be a big hole in our lives.

The last few years were pretty stressful for Gloria. I'm only now starting to understand all the reasons. But one thing I could tell her that always made her feel better was
Gloria, I love you more today than I did yesterday.
More than anything else she wanted to be loved.

I know different religions have different beliefs about where we go when we die. Gloria touched many people's lives, almost always for the better. Wherever she is, I know she is in each and every one of *your* hearts. I have a message for Gloria. Would you please pass it on to her?
Gloria, I love you more today than I did yesterday.