Gloria Metzger

Gloria M. Metzger

Gloria M. Metzger age 89, died Tuesday, January 1, 2013 at Good Samaritan Luther Manor.

Gloria was born on October 30, 1923 in Washington, D.C. the daughter of Eric and Alvina Matus. She grew up in Washington, D.C. and graduated from Anacostia High School and spent 2 years at George Washington University. She was united in marriage to Robert Metzger on July 21, 1946 in Washington, D.C. They lived there until 1949 when they moved to Alma, Ne. Bob's hometown and in 1955 they moved to Lincoln, NE. In 1965 they moved to Sioux Falls when Bob was transferred because of his job. Gloria has worked as a secretary in the Insurance business and for different hospitals all of her life.

When Gloria was 4 years old her parents and another couple went fishing on the Potomac River and their boat capsized and her parents drown in the accident. She was taken in by a neighbor family who already had 4-5 children of their own and they kept her for five years before the courts ordered to be sent to a German run orphanage in Washington, D.C. There was a quite a lengthy court battle for her as a little girl. Her father's cousin from Milwaukee went to D.C. to get custody of her, he was her only surviving relative, she chose to stay with the neighbors and live in D.C. There were quite a few news articles about the little girl who's parent drown. When she was sent to the orphanage her parent's neighbor whom she lived with initially kept her parents house up and rented it out and invested all the income and what monies they had and when she turned 21 he gave her the title to the house and all the income he had accumulated for her.

She met Bob at a dance in the D.C. area for naval personnel. Bob was a gunner in the U.S. Navy. She was wearing a red dress and all dolled up. Bob said the first time he laid eyes on her, wow look at that gorgeous dame. I need to meet her, it was love at first site for him. She thought he was handsome but wasn't going to get involved with someone going off to war. They dated a few times, Bob went off to war and asked her to marry him, she said no but she would wait for him and if he came home she would marry him. He came home and they were married a short time later. They were happily married for 61 years.

While the war was going on she attended school, worked and at night she volunteered at Providence hospital in D.C., they hospital she was born in, helping wounded soldiers and she also volunteered at Union Station, helping get the "Boys" ready to go off to war. During their married life Gloria and Bob enjoyed traveling our great country together, fishing, they had a14 foot fishing boat custom made for them in Minnesota and used it for 40 years. They also enjoyed riding bikes in D.C. area when they were younger.

Funeral services will begin at 2:00 pm Friday, January 4, 2013 at Heritage Funeral Home with visitation beginning at noon on Friday and continuing until service time. www.heritagesfsd.com.