Gloria Catherine Dempsey Cerny

1925 - 2022

Gloria Catherine Dempsey Cerny passed away February 8, 2022. Her life and last days were in her home in Lakeview on Milne Blvd., where she was born on March 30, 1925. Like Lakeview, she had many changes as the surroundings changed from urban rural with much green space, shell roads, canals, and the New Basin Canal, where her brothers and many cousins taught her how to swim, fish, and crab. Old shell and dirt roads were now paved, and bike riding became a bit of a hazard. Public transportation was available to the lakefront, but she and her brothers rode bikes to the lake to swim night and day. Gloria was named after the actress Gloria Swanson, whom her father had met once while working in the theater business from promoting Projectionist Union membership, special effects, bill boarding, etc. The naming of children after celebrities was jokingly said to have been initiated by him, but he most likely ran out of names since Gloria was his 10th child (but not the last.) Gloria's parents were Catherine Mary Head and Martin Robert Dempsey. Her siblings were Nollie, Mary "May", William "Bill", Martin "Marky", Edward "Ed", Joseph, George, Elizabeth, John "Jack", and Joseph Anthony "Brotha". Her grandparents were all Irish with her mother's parents from Carrigaholt (on the Shannon River), County Clare, and Killimor, Galway, Ireland. Her father's parents- the Dempseys- were from Galway, Ireland via Nova Scotia and were skilled construction workers. The family was Catholic and parishioners of St. Joseph Church on Tulane Avenue until the move to Lakeview when St. Dominic became their parish in the 1920s. Gloria was quite happy with her Lakeview childhood and her siblings (of which, three had already passed by the time Gloria was born- Nollie, Joseph, and Elizabeth.) The neighbors were friendly and generous, often allowing residents to use their empty property for animals, horticulture, and parties. Gloria's brothers bought a horse, goat, chickens, geese, and got involved in landscaping. Her brother, Ed, crippled by Polio, rode the horse and taught her how to ride, too. Along with caring for animals, he passed to her and others music skills and appreciation. (He played drums and was in Tebbe band. As a child, Gloria hummed and whistled along.) As Gloria often said, there was always something to do. Being active made her want to be more competent in activities such as biking, skating, and swimming- athletic despite her size (never to exceed 5'0"). She taught her children and oldest niece (Diane, who like earlier generations of nieces, nephews, cousins from the Mahoney, Whalen, and Crawford branches of the family became part of the Lakeview household- and sporting/activities/events of their choice, particularly in the summer where many of them slept on the screen front porch.) It was sort of a Tom Sawyer-Huck Finn escape for the city kids. With her own children (another generation) an event became tree climbing, as Gloria's twins, Brian and Brent, added the art of climbing up and down big trees; her daughter, Jean, and son, Bob, became most agile in the monkey bars and falling off swings, as they learned the art of clearing the way for each other; the youngest, Bruce, took up the art of bike cannibalism – taking apart many neighbors' bikes. Gloria took care of bruises, cuts, and broken bones with absolute calm- never telling them not to do that again but to learn from their experiences. She encouraged them to get up and go again. Gloria was in essence always a "get up and go" gal, as was her older sister, May, who never married and was determined to make sure her sister was going to get up and go in the marriage department. May, who worked for one of the movie studios, met a nice young man who was close to his release from the Coast Guard, having served in the Pacific Theater during World War II. His parents were screen writers in California, and he was an only child. May invited him to the house in Lakeview for Dinner. He accepted. He got the Canal bus and got off- then got lost. He was on the wrong side of Milne Blvd Canal. Gloria's' dad noticed him and called for her to see if that was the young man coming to dinner. Gloria tracked him down on her bicycle. He was the young man invited to dinner. His name was Robert "Bob" Cerny. He was the same age as Gloria, 21 years old, a Californian, and a war veteran. Bob came to dinner in 1946 and stayed until 2015. They were married on April 19, 1947 in the old St. Dominic rectory, which at that time was across the street. The reception was large and on the lawn. Gloria's six brothers and dozens of cousins and friends attended. Her sister, May, orchestrated the happy event. Close neighbors and friend, the Mitchell-Tebbe family, paid for all the refreshments, having lost a marriage bet to Gloria and her dad, Mr. Marky. Bob spent the next decade trying to figure out the family's various relationships after discovering on his wedding day that his "war time nemesis" was Gloria's first cousin! He and his cousin-in-law became great friends. Gloria and Bob's first child was born in May 1948. He was named Robert Glenn. Before passing in 2015, Bob's major concern was for his wife, Gloria, and to make certain that she would stay in the Milne house until her death. His oldest son, a Vietnam War vet, and wife, Dawn, followed through. They took her on close-by trips such as to friends in Houston (the Holman family), shopping, dining, and entertainment, which included their and her cats and birdwatching. Gloria loved animals close up and distant, such as visiting parrots that disappeared from her yard after Katrina. Coincidentally, Dawn (Gloria's daughter-in-law) was surprised at her niece's wedding shower when Gloria's family showed up as some of the groom's family! The Groom was one of Gloria's aunt's great grandson! Some quick call to the family tree holder- no blood relation- the shower/wedding commenced! Gloria is survived by her 5 children: Robert Cerny (Dawn), Jean Schaubhut (Lido), Brian (Catherine), Brent (Carrie), Bruce (Esther). She has 11 grandchildren: Donna, Cody, Shannon, Lauren, Sean, Jason, Lida, Karla, Lido, Chad, and Travers. She has 24 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great-grandchildren. Gloria has 3 nieces, 15 nephews, and 28 cousins. Gloria was a fast walker, a delightful talker, a curious can-do person who enjoyed Russian cake, eclairs, Manuel's hot tamales, and an occasional beer. Most of all, she enjoyed fun She became weak a few weeks before her death. She had already begun exercising to improve her walk- assuming death was nowhere near her and her safe-haven birth-home in Lakeview. Family and friends are invited to attend the services on Thursday, February 17, 2022 at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70124. Visitation begins at 12:00 p.m. until mass begins at 2:00 p.m. The interment will follow mass at Lake Lawn Park. To view and sign the family guestbook, please visit lakelawnmetairie.com.