Gloria Stuart

The Gloria Stuart who died on September 26, 2010, was far more than just Old Rose in James Cameron's Titanic. In fact, ever since 1986, she was "Great Gloria" to her entire family. After the birth of her first great grandchild, when she was asked, "What would you like your great grandchildren to call you?" she answered, "Great Gloria" and the name stuck ever since.

Born to Alice Vaughan Stewart in 1910 on the kitchen table in Santa Monica, Gloria was a third generation Californian. Her father, Frank Stewart, was a lawyer, who was appointed as a judge just before he died. He had been the lawyer for the Chinese Six Companies in San Francisco's Chinatown, which was the start of Great Gloria's love of Asian art.

Gloria's younger brother, "Boy" Frank Stewart was a writer for the Los Angeles Times, both as the main Dodger chronicler from Spring Training through World Series season, and wrote many famous headlines in the sports section. After her father died, her mother married Fred Finch, and Gloria gained a younger sister, Patsy.

Gloria attended U. C. Berkeley from 1927 through 1930, when she left to marry a gifted young sculptor, Gordon Newell, and they moved to Carmel. They were married just a few years. In Carmel, Gloria was in little theater and worked on The Carmelite newspaper. When Gloria's film career took off, she changed the spelling of her last name to "Stuart" so that it would more easily fit on a marquee.

In 1934 when she was portraying "Princess Sylvia" on the movie set for "Roman Scandals," the scriptwriter approached her to tell her the Chinese newspaper she was reading was upside-down. That screenwriter was Arthur Sheekman, whom Gloria soon married. They had one child, a girl, and, of course, named her "Sylvia". Arthur was also Groucho Marx's best friend, and one of the principle writers for the Marx Brothers movies.

Early in their marriage they traveled around the world in 1939. They left from California, travelled across the Pacific Ocean, and went all the way to France. Their return across the Atlantic to New York was on the last passenger ship allowed passage right before World War II began. In later years, after Arthur had died, Gloria revisited many of these countries, some more than twice. Gloria was always a huge traveler.

In her late 40s, Gloria found her inner artist, and began oil painting. Within no time at all, her first show in New York was all but sold out. In her 60s, Gloria learned the art of Bonsai, and became renown for her Bonsai forests and solo trees. At one point she was growing over 40 of them, each a work of art in itself. While still in her 60s, Gloria taught herself how to silk screen, and in her 70s she learned the art of Letterpress printing. Within the year of learning this new art, Gloria purchased her own hand-press, and created her own "Artist Books" wherein she wrote the poems, arranged and printed the text, then silk screened and painted the pages with her own illustrations. Many of Gloria's Artist Books are in the collection of museums and galleries around the world, such as The Library of Congress, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Huntington Library, Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, as well as in private collections all over the world. For reasons such as this, someone once described Gloria as being like cream ~ no matter where she starts, she rises to the top.

Another one of her favorite pastimes was poker. For 40 years, Gloria played poker every Saturday night with the same group, which included her husband Arthur Sheekman; Helen & Nat Perrin another writer for the Marx Bros, and creator/writer for The Adams Family; Julius & Ann Epstein Julius wrote Casablanca; Fay & Michael Kanin both writers, and Fay was president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Decla Dunning novelist, and regular writer for the New Yorker; Paul Radin produced movies such as "Born Free" and many television series; Doris & Frank Hursley co-creators and writers for "General Hospital"; Ruth & Ira Steiner Hollywood Agent; Diana Gaines novelist & Dr. Henry Jaffe. With two tables going, this group played together through thick and through thin.

Gloria was devoted to supporting many causes, from every Democratic race, to Human Rights, animals, and nature. Whether it was the Sierra Club, the Nature Conservancy, the ACLU, or local, state or national politics, Gloria kept abreast of every nuance. Every morning she read both the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, cover-to-cover, then watched the evening news that night. She continued this right up to three days before her death. She was fiercely loyal to her causes, and a fighter to defend them. On the day she died, when asked what one word she wanted used to describe her, she clenched her fist up tight, thrust it up into the air, toughened her face, and yelled out, "Strong!" Great Gloria was very strong-minded to say the least.

With a love of anything joyous and fun, she treasured any toy that moved, any fan that twirled, any trinket that sparkled, and any joke that was funny. She loved the ocean her whole life, and used to swim off the Santa Monica Pier.

Gloria also treasured all that was complex. If it was intricate, tricky, detailed, unique, or difficult to make, she loved it.

Famous for her generosity, Gloria has donated her press and all her fonts and type to Mills College in Oakland; her bonsai to the Huntington Library Bonsai Gardens, and her treasures to her family.

She was also an accomplished orchid grower, often keeping ten or more blooming orchids on her kitchen counter, year after year, thrilled to be under her care. She knitted, sewed, collected stamps and countless sets of fine china. Famous for her cooking, she was always the Poker group's favorite hostess, because it meant the food would be great.

Although her life often had her mixing with many very famous people, from Bill Clinton to Groucho Marx from James Cameron to the artist Don Bachardy, Gloria never rested on her laurels, but always pushed herself to do more, see more, be more, give more.

The day she died, she offered this parting advice to those standing around her: "Remember to follow your own star, and don't ever let anyone interfere with your dreams."

Arthur and Gloria were married over 40 years, until his death in 1978. The love of her life was her daughter, Sylvia Thompson, her only child. Although Great Gloria was also preceded in death by her parents and siblings, surviving her was her daughter, and Sylvia's four children: David Thompson Los Angeles, Benjamin Ella Thompson Los Angeles, Dinah Gary Sapia Santa Cruz, and Amanda Jim Whelan Los Angeles. Also remembering Great Gloria are her twelve great grandchildren. From Los Angeles: Katie Church, Maggie Thompson, Jacob Thompson, Samuel Thompson, Deborah Thompson, Tziporah Thompson, Sara-Leah Thompson, Frannie Whelan; and from Santa Cruz: Dylan Sapia, Weston Sapia, Stuart Sapia and Jasen Sapia.

Goodbye Great Gloria. You were our Shining Star long before you received your star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We will always remember you as the other Gloria Stuart, our Great Gloria.