Gloria Klein
KLEIN: Gloria Klein died peacefully at home, surrounded by family and love, on July 4, 2023, at age 94. She was born on Dec. 7, 1928, in Philadelphia to Marcus Berman, a lawyer, and Jeanette Ber-man, a nurse. Her childhood was marked by loss, first with the death of her mother when she was 11, then her only sibling David in WWII when she was 16, and finally her father when she was 18. She graduated from the Philadelphia Museum School of Art, and soon after went on a blind date with Alfred Klein, who became her beloved husband for 72 years. Thank goodness for her bound-less energy! She quickly put it to good use when her first pregnancy was a birthquake of triplets (Carol, Michael, and Judy). She gave birth to Terri six years later. They moved to Pittsburgh in 1955 for Al’s job at Westinghouse. Gloria created a warm, welcoming household. She ensured that our family ate breakfast and dinner together, and there was always room for a friend or two. She was a celebrated cook and baker. She sewed many of her daughters’ clothes as well as her own. She made pottery in her tiny basement. The cookie jar she made was always full of her homemade cookies. She also cared for her invalid stepmother who lived with our family for decades. In the midst of all this, she returned to college to earn a teaching degree, and she worked as an art teacher in the Wilkinsburg Public Schools for many years. Upon retirement, she traveled the world with Al and continued making art. She reveled in family gatherings, including yearly beach trips to North Carolina with the ever-expanding Klein clan. At our last vacation together, there were four generations of Kleins bobbing about in the Atlantic Ocean. Just like the ocean, Gloria buoyed us all up. Only Parkinson’s disease could slow her down. Gloria’s husband Al died 4 months ago. Gloria is survived by her children Carol (Michael Larter) of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Michael (Louisa Barnhart) of China Village, Maine; Judy (Malcolm Dalglish) of Bloomington, Indiana; and Terri (Dan Gup) of Pittsburgh; grandchildren Naomi, Tema, Ben, Mia, Nathan, Hannah, Sophia, Emily and Noah; and great-grandchildren Miriam, Lila, Silas, Althea and Addison. We are deeply grateful to the mar-velous caregivers whose attentive care allowed her to spend her last several years at home: Mili Pedreira, Barbara DeBruce, Jeanette Steele, Shannon Turk, Charlette Aziz, Monique Miles and Vivi-an Andrews. A memorial service will be held at Temple Sinai on Thursday, July 6, 2023, at 3 p.m. If you wish, you may make memorial contributions to a cause meaningful to you. Arrangements en-trusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc, family owned and operated. schugar.com PJC
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