Gloria Sullivan

Gloria is a form of a Latin feminine name meaning immortal glory. And according to Merriam-Webster's dictionary one of the definitions of glory is magnificence, or great beauty. If there is one word to sum the life of Gloria del Carmen de Argentina Guzman Sullivan it would certainly be beautiful. Beautiful inside and out. Grandma, or Gigi, as she has been affectionately called in more recent years, was born in Granada, Nicaragua. We would let you know the year, but in her honor, we will keep that under lock and key for as Oscar Wilde once said, and Gloria most certainly would agree with, "One should never trust a woman who tells her real age" She was the 4th child of Enrique and Lillian Guzman and had 4 beloved siblings Amalia, Enrique, Elvira, and Alex. At the age of 18, full of optimism and courage, on her own Gloria made the decision to relocate to America. In the United States, she would navigate a new language, a new way of life and a new beginning. After settling in US, my mother Brenda, and my aunt Natasha would join my grandmother on her beautiful journey. Soon after the three of them made their way to Northern California where Gloria would call her lifelong home. In 1959, Gloria met the love of her life on a blind date, Martin Sullivan. And move over Romeo and Juliet because this love story is one for the ages. They would both tell you it was love at first sight, and very soon after they were married. Martin Sullivan Jr. was born in 1968 and completed Gloria and Marty's beautiful family of five. Gloria was a woman ahead her time. While raising three children, she worked full-time helping to run the family business. She was smart, hard-working, tough, full of grit, and certainly broke what would have been the traditional expectation of demureness for women at the time. Gloria and Marty continued to build their life together over 62 beautiful years of marriage. They were best friends. Bugsy and Bugsito. Their journey led them from San Francisco to Menlo Park to Lodi. They worked alongside one another in business and at home. Their ever-growing loving family added their son-in-law Bob, and their daughter-in-law Shannon. They traveled the world with amazing friends. They welcomed and adored 6 grandchildren, myself, Jennifer, Robert, Eric, Hallie and Emoree, and 7 great-grandchildren, Carlos, Joseph, Jason, Isabella, Declan, Juanita and Eliza. They built abeautiful life filled with love, commitment, attention, communication, partnership, and respect. At the end of her journey here on earth, grandpa would muster all his strength and continue to adore her. Taking care of her every need. Loving her day in and day out. Comforting her. Calling her an angel and loving her through her very last breath and beyond. How blessed Gloria was to have loved and adored you, and how blessed you were to be loved and adored by her. I speak for all your family and friends when I say, thank you Grandpa. In the early 1990's, Gloria was diagnosed with breast cancer. She fought the difficult battle and endured living another wonderful 30+ years. I asked her one time about her experience and how she persevered, and she very directly answered that "I told myself, I am not going to die, I want to LIVE!". And living is what she did best. • Gloria was enthusiastic, full of joy, optimistic and had the ultimate zest for life. • She faced challenges head-on and with hope • She was kind and honest, had a huge heart, was devoted to family, and had the utmost resilience. • She did NOT have an accent. The rest of us have simply been pronouncing beaches and sheets wrong for years. • She never complained. • She had a capacity for forgiveness that was unmatched. • She always kept faith in God, in humanity and in the days ahead • She was the person who would make you laugh until your belly hurt, the life of the party, and the most fascinating woman. If there is one thing Gloria would want us all to live by, it would be "La vida es bella" "Life is beautiful". And Gloria, without a doubt, was one of God's great beauties. Gloria-You are and will always be SO VERY LOVED and your beautiful legacy lives on. We all know that her siblings and daughter Natasha are at heaven's gates to welcome her with love. Today those of us that she left her beautifully infectious mark on celebrate her life and her spirit here on Earth as we proclaim words that Gloria certainly lived by, "Gloria in excelsis Deo", "Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on Earth"