Gloria C. Barker's Obituary
On October 22, our hearts were broken with the passing of Gloria Barker .Gloria was born, Charlotte Gloria Pick, on March 14, 1929. Gloria lived a long and fulfilling life as a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. In addition, Gloria was mom to hundreds of people whom she employed. Working for over 60 years with her husband, Herbert, by her side, Gloria founded and ran many successful businesses including Superior Wholesale Gifts, Upham's Department Stores, Golden Skillet Fried Chicken, Barker Specialty Company, and most recently- the Barker Animation Art Galleries. Gloria was the youngest of three daughters of Maude and Rudolph Pick. Gloria grew up in Long Beach, NY, with her two sisters, Eleanor and Muriel. After graduating from Bryant College, Gloria met the love of her life, Herbert Barker, and they were married during a blizzard on December 19, 1947. They were married for almost 70 years. Gloria leaves wonderful memories for her children- Amy Barker, Gerry and Debbi Barker, Steven and Susan Barker, and Adrienne and Alan Anctil. Deeply missing their loving grandmother are Alivia Barker, Maxwell Barker, Harrison Barker, Sophia Barker, Alex and Corie Coleman, Samuel Coleman, Rudolph Coleman and Alana Anctil. And missing her great-grandmother is Makeila Coleman. In addition, there are numerous nieces and nephews, cousins and in-laws, and just so many friends. Gloria was also a fond companion to many pets including her devotion for Laddie, Barbie, and Abby. Gloria was a giver and nothing made her happier than helping others. She was a member of many community boards and commissions and involved with numerous charitable organizations. One of Gloria's favorite comments was "I wish I had all the money in the world, so I can give it all away."It is impossible to abbreviate Gloria's remarkable life to just a few paragraphs in a newspaper. A book written by Cesar Becerra is currently in progress. Gloria's funeral will be held at Beth David Memorial Gardens, 3201 NW 72nd Ave., Hollywood, FL, this Friday, October 27th at 1 pm. Shiva will be at the Diplomat Oceanfront Residences. Donations may be made in Gloria's memory to JAFCO- www.jafco.org; Chabad Chayil- www.chabadchayil.org; Soil Haiti- www.oursoil.org.
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