Gloria George

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Gloria George – loving and devoted mother, grandmother and friend. She left us while sleeping peacefully at her residence at the Iron River Care Center in Iron River, Michigan, at the age of 80 years old. Gloria was a life-long resident of Stambaugh (It was always “Stambaugh” to her). She always thought it was funny how she lived her whole life on the same street (3rd Street, now known as Cherry Street). She moved twice over the years, with each move being one block farther away. She was born December 30th, 1939 - Daughter of the late Irving and Amelia (Peretto) Hammar. She attended Stambaugh schools, graduating in 1957. Her favorite subject was shorthand, and she was always very proud of the pin she earned for the subject. Gloria married Ronald “TT” George on October 10, 1959. The couple celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary in 2015, shortly before he preceded her in death on October 25th, 2015. The couple had two children, Sandra and David. Gloria was employed at several places throughout her lifetime. Around high school graduation, she began working at Melstrom’s Drugstore in Iron River, in the snack bar section. One story she always loved to tell is how folks came in, sat at the counter, ordered food, and she would have to turn around and cook it. She hated eggs, so when customers would order their eggs, she did not know how to cook them and simply told them that it did not matter how they ordered their eggs, they would ‘get them the way they came.’ She later went to work for Tri-City Drugs in Stambaugh, and eventually went back to Melstrom’s until she married in 1959. Once married, she devoted her time to her young family. As her children got older, she spent several years as an Avon representative. Later, she worked as a clerk at Central Music in Iron River, transitioning to clerk at Dorothy’s Food Market in Stambaugh. After Gloria’s grandchildren were born, she focused much of her time on helping care for them while her daughter worked. She also operated a small business in the early 90’s (Personal Reflections), where customized designs and photos were applied to t-shirts, hats, mugs, etc. She ended her work life at Sunset Manor in Stambaugh, taking care of the hallways and common areas, as her husband was in charge of maintenance. She enjoyed bringing a warm, homey feel to the hallways and sitting areas, often hanging her own paintings. Throughout the years, she enjoyed many hobbies. Gardening was her continuous hobby, and she found it quite peaceful. Her flower gardens expanded over the years until most of the yard was full of flowers. Iris was her favorite flower, and she was passionate about collecting new colors and varieties. She had over 50 colors and her yard was highly fragrant every June. Once her children were grown, Gloria took up oil painting. She turned out to have a natural talent and really cherished it. She enjoyed painting florals, landscapes, portraits and even painted on silk. She was very creative and even began painting the floors and walls in her house! She was well known for her artistic talent in the local area – Her paintings hung for sale in some of the local businesses. She was a featured artist with her own show at the Iron County Museum (2001), which she felt very honored by. She displayed a wide array of oil paintings, silks, and made a fun village display for her painted rock houses. She was also invited to show her work in the museum’s Fine Art show (1999, 2001). In later years, she took up an interest in her family history and genealogy, as well as scrapbooking her family, grandchildren, and family history. Gloria was essential in the research with her daughter, Sandy, for the two-volume Remembering Stambaugh book series (Historical information and photos from Stambaugh’s inception back in the 1880’s). Gloria was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses on Aug 24, 1974. Reading the Bible and spending time sharing its message of comfort and hope was a very important part of her life. She never missed a meeting unless she had to, and loved going door-to-door, spreading Jehovah’s word. She made many life-long friends at the Kingdom Hall, and she deeply treasured those friendships. Gloria was a kind, gentle soul. She was a good listener, loving, caring, and patient. She was the best wife, mother, grandmother and friend. Her children adored her: “Gloria was selfless. She gave you her full attention when you came through the door or needed something.” “Gloria was not only my mother, she was my BEST friend my whole adult life. Living only blocks away, we did everything together from hobbies to errands. I feel so lucky and blessed to have had her in my life and my family’s, as long as we did. I am so thankful we had the same interest in gardens because we shared our flowers and special iris. SO every year when my flowers bloom, it will be as though my mother is saying ‘Hello, I love you.’” Gloria’s grandchildren describe her best when they say: “I literally had the BEST gramma ever, and I am so grateful she was able to be a core fixture in our lives. She spoiled us with her time, which was the best gift she could have given. I will never regret the countless hours I spent sitting at the table with her while she drank her coffee. She taught us so much, and I will forever treasure the profound importance she has had in my life. She was so special, so talented, and so loved – she will forever be missed.” “She loved teaching, especially her grandkids! The very first thing that comes to mind is that she taught me how to blow bubbles with gum. I can picture it like it was yesterday - standing in the backyard on her little brick patio, while grandpa was doing his usual newspaper reading at the patio table. We kept at it until I could successfully blow a bubble. Since then, I have always thought of her when I blow bubbles. It’s something small, but one of the very memorable things about her that comes to mind quite often. I am so thankful to have had such an amazing, gifted, and charismatic grandmother - It is without a doubt that she touched so many lives in many ways; she was a serious blessing to everyone and loved by SO many.” “My Gramma was a very caring, patient and creative person. One of my fondest memories of her is spending countless hours at the dining room table making crafts – various paintings, sewing projects and homemade jewelry, just to name a few. I will always think of her every time I see an iris. The way that my Gramma has always put an artistic touch to her everyday life has inspired me to tap into my own creative side, and that is part of her legacy that will live on in me.” “I used to love going over my grandparent’s house. When we were really little, Gramma would bring snow in the house for us so to play with on the kitchen floor. As we got older, we loved sledding and playing in the huge mounds of snow that would fall from the garage roof. Gramma would then make us hot chocolate to warm us up afterwards.” In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her brother, Ted Hammar; sister, Suzi Higby; and sister, Margret Voakes. Gloria is survived by her daughter, Sandra (Dan) Thoney of Iron River; son, David George of Iron River; sister, Patty (Dave) Reitmeyer; and four grandchildren, Lisa (Don) Quest of Detroit, Melissa Samuelson of Chicago, Dustyn Thoney of Grand Rapids, and Nikolas Thoney of Detroit. She is also survived by extended family and friends. A celebration of Gloria’s life will be announced at a later date, due to COVID restrictions. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Gloria George, please visit our flower store.