Gloria Suzanne Morrison-Skelton - Obituary

Gloria was a mother, a grandmother, an aunt, a great-aunt, a sister and a sister-in-law, a cousin, and a friend. People list things like these as though they are just lines in an obituary, but sometimes we forget what all of those relationships actually meant in a person’s life.

She loved animals… so much so that her membership to the Humane Society was automatically renewed three months after she died. She also loved plants. So much so that at her memorial today we are bringing live plants and seeds instead of imitation or cut flowers. But more than anything, she loved people. She helped anyone who needed it, sometimes even with a scolding, because she never held back. Life had made her weary at times, but she never forgot how to love.

There is a thunderstorm today, and I think that’s appropriate. She had a song she used to sing to her children and grandchildren when it stormed. I hope today she is singing it to us from heaven.

Before she passed, she suffered the loss of both of her biological sisters, Brenda and Jackie, much earlier than was fair. She buried her father alone, and then later her mother… again, on her own. She also lost her friend Alice of 30 years, who was like a sister to her, and her loving father-in-law, Jack Sr. And over the years there were countless animals she loved with her whole heart. And now she joins them.

The people still here mourning her loss are her children, Angela and Josh; her grandchildren, Alex, Jewel, and Jayden; and her husband, Jack. Her son and daughter-in-law, John and Sierra. Her cousins Toni and Carol and their spouses, Jack and Sam. Her sister Brenda’s children, Tammy, Leslie, and Brian, and their children Nicole, Tasia, Elijah, and Zach. Her loving family by marriage: Betty, Terri, Jim, Debbie, Curtis, Timothy, Jennifer, Linda, and Matthew.

Chosen family, Kelly, Mark, Ken, and Becca.. are also with us in our grief. There were many more people who knew and loved my mom. I hope all of you, wherever you are, are doing well.