Gloria Debbas

Mrs. Gloria Debbas, a devoted mother, faithful friend, and community stalwart, passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 27, 2022, at age 92 years. Born in Jerusalem, Palestine, she was one among four siblings and had numerous aunts and uncles.
Gloria attended Catholic elementary school in Jerusalem on the Via Dolorosa in a building at the Second Station of the Cross. Growing up during the worldwide Great Depression and later World War II, her childhood was austere, even as she came from a privileged, renowned, genteel family. Her father owned a marble and sandstone quarry, which was the source of the stone used in Jerusalem's King David Hotel. In addition, the family owned large tracts of citrus groves, chiefly of the world-famous Jaffa oranges, and they were the main exporters of Jaffa oranges to various European countries.
Gloria's house was in the Talbiyeh section of Jerusalem, a well-off Arabic neighborhood, and it was a landmark and known all over Jerusalem. Its castle-like form, in fine stone, has been featured in many books, magazines, and articles about Jerusalem architecture.
Once graduating from high school, Gloria and her family had to flee Palestine, her homeland, and they had to leave the houses, land, and businesses behind, only being able to move a few trunks of belongings. They resettled in Beirut, Lebanon, from where Gloria departed for college in Paris at the University of Paris. She already spoke French fluently, as well as Arabic and English, when she entered college, and she earned high marks, graduating as a top honoree with a Baccalaureate of Arts degree in a liberal-arts curriculum with a major in Philosophy. Returning to Beirut, she met Elias Debbas, a fellow Palestinian refugee, and they became a dating couple. During this time, Gloria served as Protocol and Social Secretary for the American Embassy. Several years later, she married Elias in 1958, went on a European honeymoon, and immigrated to the United States, where her husband Elias was pursuing his Master's degree at M.I.T. Residing in the Boston area gave Gloria access to top educational institutions, and she worked as a librarian in the Harvard Medical School. Her library skills would be put to further use in Manhattan when the couple moved to New York in 1961 and she continued her career in the Cornell Medical College. She and Elias became parents to their three sons, Paul, Michael, and Peter, while residing in Jackson Heights, Queens, and soon the five-strong family relocated to Bergen County when Elias took a job there as a Civil Engineer. They bought a house on Birchwood Road in Glen Rock, and Gloria would end up living in it for half a century. Throughout most of this period, Gloria worked in real estate as an associate and Broker, first at Cottage Realty in Waldwick and then, beginning fall 1982, at Weichert, Realtors in Glen Rock on Rock Road. Gloria worked in the Weichert Glen Rock real estate office for nearly thirty years until the office closed. As she built up knowledge in the field, she became an esteemed businesswoman and professional and repeatedly generated sales to rank her in the Million Dollar Club and the 100 Marketed Club. She had a savvy and yet simultaneously gentle style, winning over clients and earning numerous referrals with her honest, straightforward approach. Always with an interest in historic architecture, Gloria became a Historic Homes representative and a member of the New Jersey Historical Society as well as the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Her expertise was highly sought in real estate, and she became the Weichert office's favorite mentor. She carried her skills to the Marron and Gildea office in Ridgewood, where she served part-time until she retired in 2013.
An appreciator of the fine arts, Gloria was a talented oil painter and produced several quality works. She enjoyed watching Antiques Roadshow and learning about various porcelain, silver, tapestry, jewelry, and other assorted items.
Gloria relocated to Waldwick in 2018, where she lived in the Waldwick Station apartment building until her passing this week. She became a kidney dialysis patient her last year and a quarter, and she persevered until the end. She is survived by her three sons. Her husband Elias passed in 2013, and she lost her sister Vivianne in childhood, her brother Antoine of suburban Houston several years ago and her beloved sister Norma of England just this March. The sisters were very close, almost like twins, and would vacation together in England, France, and the U.S. Gloria had five nephews and nieces from her siblings. She was very much adored by her three sons and her broader family, and she will be remembered with love.
Memorial services will be held from 4-8 p.m. on Friday, November 4, at Vander Plaat Funeral Home in Wyckoff. The funeral mass will be the following day, Saturday, November 5, 2022 at 3:00pm in Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Ridgewood. All are to meet at church on Saturday.
In lieu of sending flowers, donations can be made to the National Kidney Foundation (www.kidney.org).