Gloria E. Tschachler

Hartford - Gloria (nee Nuedling) passed away peacefully on January 16, 2021 in Jackson, Wisconsin. The cause was complications from Alzheimer's disease. She was born December 22, 1929 in Milwaukee to August L. and Eleanore H. (Altmann) Nuedling. She is survived by her daughters Sharon Paré (Glenn) of Bradenton FL and Susan Maszk of Hartford WI, brother-in-law Ronald Aussprung of Waukesha WI, brother-in-law Joseph Tschachler (Priscilla) of Brookfield, WI, sister-in-law Emily Tschachler of Menomonee Falls WI, and 10 nieces and nephews. She was married to Hubert for 72 years; he predeceased her by just 17 days. She was also predeceased by her parents, son Jon, sister Judith Gasse Aussprung, brother August "Dutch" Nuedling, son-in-law Jeffrey Maszk, brother-in-law Walter Tschachler, and sister-in-law Anna Tschachler Sciano.

Until 2018, when they moved to Jackson Crossings Assisted Living, Gloria and Hubert lived on Pike Lake in Hartford and spent winters in Winter Haven FL.

Gloria loved people and sociability was her defining trait. She struck up conversations with anyone and everyone, including fellow shoppers in the grocery checkout line. She once famously answered the telephone and spoke for 10 minutes with a gentleman from San Francisco who had dialed the wrong number. She did not work outside her home, except for a few years as an "Avon Lady." It was a perfect fit for her, as she made many new friends along her route in the neighborhood. She enjoyed traveling with Hubert to places such as Hawaii, Acapulco, and Quebec City, but was happiest when she was home surrounded by family and friends. She always kept a cold bottle of champagne at the ready in case an opportunity to celebrate presented itself.

Gloria was a city person who loved the high energy and availability of cultural attractions such as live theater and museums. She was also a big fan of Hollywood movies and she and Hubert often went to the cinema within days of a new release. One of her favorite pastimes was a weekly shopping excursion with a friend followed by a late lunch. She loved clothes and always worked to look her best. She always had a book of literary fiction in progress, the thicker the better. She was a talented seamstress who made many of her daughters' clothes. If shown a picture or a sketch of an item she could modify a similar pattern and produce an exact replica.

Gloria's home was always meticulously clean and uncluttered. She was unsentimental about objects and "getting rid of things" gave her great satisfaction. Perhaps she was the Marie Kondo of her generation. Her daughters dreaded her regular purges of their closets when she would pull out each item and request a decision on the spot. Anything they could not prove they had worn in the past year automatically went into the Goodwill pile. After the kids were grown and out on their own they would come home for holidays and discover beloved things from their childhood were nowhere to be found. They were particularly aggrieved by the loss of a prized collection of early rock'n'roll 45 rpm records and an extensive Matchbox car collection.

Cooking was not Gloria's favorite activity, but she unfailingly provided three meals a day for her family for decades. She took advantage of every opportunity to make the process less onerous, earning her the nickname of "Mix and Stir Ma." She did have a sweet tooth though, and enjoyed baking a wide variety of cookies, cakes and bars. Her piece de resistance was her moist poppy seed layer cake with egg custard filling and vanilla buttercream frosting.

Gloria believed to her core in the concept of social justice and equal rights for all. She wasn't an activist, but in her own quiet way she made it clear where she stood on issues of the day, and supported the civil rights, women's liberation, and LGBTQ movements. She was a great inspiration to her family.

Due to the continuing coronavirus pandemic, a service celebrating Gloria's life will be held at a future date to be determined.