Thursday, January 23, 2020
I met Gloria when we were both in High School, and she has been in my, and my family’s life, since then. I married her cousin, Claudia, after meeting her when Gloria and Claudia walked by “Meyers and Bloom” ice cream parlor (now Skinflints) on 5th Ave. and 79 st, in Brooklyn. Gloria married Frank, and our families have been close for over fifty years, a long time, which, seems to have passed so fast. There were those big Irish type parties at Gloria’s parents house in Brooklyn, where her uncle did the “face on the bar room floor.” Gloria would arrive, with that big smile, with Frank, a handsome soldier in uniform. I remember the parties in either Staten Island or Brooklyn, or Rocky Point, where the Clausen and Saasto families were always together. I remember the annual vacations to Trout Lake, near Lake George, where her family always had a cabin next to my family. Trout Lake was just a few notches above camping, so Gloria moved up to condo life on Lake George, which seemed to be so special for her.
I cannot remember any significant events during these past years without Gloria being a part in it. She was “little” Ernie’s godmother. She was there for my kids after Claudia died, driving over three hours each way from NJ to Rocky Point, just to “check up” on them. She was there for Eric’s wedding in Israel, representing my family.
I think I can speak for my entire family, and say that Gloria was one of a kind. We’ll all miss her.
Ernie Saasto
