Gloria Florence Stirrat

Gloria Florence Stirrat (nee Murray)

Peacefully, with her family by her side on September 13 at the age of 74 after a courageous 14 year battle with cancer.

Gloria will be deeply missed by her husband of 52 years, John, children David, James, and Jennifer (Joshua), and grandchildren whom she adored, Alice, Patrick, and Kieran. She will be fondly remembered by her brothers Bruce and Ron, cousin Ruth, brother-in-law Duncan, niece Kathie, and their families.

Born in Toronto in 1944 to the late Herbert and Florence Murray, Gloria grew up as the middle child of 5 and the only girl; a sister to Bruce, Douglas, Ronald, and Kenneth. She married John Stirrat on June 25, 1966 and they were blessed to welcome David's arrival after 7 years of marriage followed soon by James and later by Jennifer.

Gloria volunteered for many different groups and organizations over the course of her life. She was a leader for the Pioneer Girls, Beavers, Cubs, Brownies, Girl Guides, and went on to become the District Co-Commissioner and Co-District Division Commissioner for the Adam's Park and Scarborough East area Girl Guides respectively. She also volunteered countless hours and days at Charlottetown Junior Public School where her children attended.

A devoted and loving mom, Gloria was always busy taking her children to and from their many activities including hockey, ringette, soccer, baseball, band, swimming, music lessons, dance lessons, and all of the games and practices and rehearsals and recitals that came with them. If her kids were involved, she was there! Gloria always said, as her mother did before her, that her children were her greatest accomplishment. She said that a mother's mission should be to make her children's days filled with happiness, learning, self-confidence, and feeling good about themselves.

Gloria had many hobbies and talents. She played softball for several years and often ended up being voted the MVP of her team. Music played an important role in her life and she loved to download songs to make personalized CDs for her friends and family to enjoy. She was an avid coin collector, having started this hobby as a teenager with her dad. Gloria was also a genealogy enthusiast, spending many years researching and adding entries to her family tree. Many of you will remember that she was also really great at making and decorating delicious cakes.

After staying home with her kids during their childhoods, Gloria returned to work and became the office administrator of a busy real estate office in Toronto. She could often be found working 12 hour days to make sure everything got done and was done correctly. She led a very busy life.

Gloria will be remembered for her exceptionally positive attitude, her incredible capacity for thoughtfulness and kindness, and her stellar sense of humour. She always went above and beyond to make sure her kids felt confident and special and she had a way of making everyone feel warmly welcomed and included wherever she went. It would be an understatement to say that Gloria was generous, gracious, forgiving...and organized. She could plan and complete any task.

A treasured friend to many, Gloria leaves behind a host of wonderful friends and neighbours, and gave thanks to each of you for your kindness, thoughtfulness, and support over her life. Much appreciation goes out to her wonderful team of doctors and nurses, with special thanks to Dr. Ceri Davies, Dr. Mary Doherty, and Dr. Debbie Selby.

A memorial service for Gloria will be held on Tuesday, November 6th from 7 - 9 p.m. at Grace Presbyterian Church. The church is located at 447 Port Union Road in Scarborough just south of the 401. Please join us to celebrate Gloria's life! Coffee and light refreshments to follow.

Please leave a comment below and feel welcome to share a favourite memory or two of your time with Gloria!