Gloria Ellen English

Gloria Ellen English passed away April 1, 2019. She was born in New York City to Mabel (Vandenburgh) and Enrique de Leon on March 16, 1928, and lived her elementary and high school years in Washington Heights. Gloria was predeceased by her parents, her brother Raymond de Leon, and her beloved husband of 58 years, Arthur Louis English.

Gloria graduated from George Washington High School in 1946. After marriage in 1951, Gloria lived in Queens and the Bronx before moving to New City, New York, where she resided for 55 years. In 2012, Gloria moved from her home to Sunrise Senior Living of New City.

Gloria worked for the Village of Spring Valley before becoming assistant to the Rockland County Clerk. She worked eight years in Albany serving on the New York State Real Property Tax Commission charged with studying tax policy and making recommendations to the state legislature. While working in Albany, Gloria became certified as a paralegal.

Emblematic of her greatest generation of Americans, Gloria contributed unselfishly to the communities of Rockland County through numerous volunteer posts. She was a member of the Rockland County League of Women Voters, serving as President when the League argued in the courts for reform of voter reapportionment laws, a case ultimately heard in the United States Supreme Court. Gloria English ran twice, though unsuccessfully, for Rockland County Supervisor.

Volunteer work included active participation in Daytop Village family counseling services, leading her to become a founding member of the Rockland drug court, dedicated to working among judges, law enforcement, and drug offenders with focus on rehabilitation services as alternatives to traditional prosecution and sentencing. In gratitude for her service to community, Gloria became a Rockland Volunteer of the Year recipient.

Gloria is survived by her eldest son, Jeffrey A. English (Diana) of Parsippany, NJ, son John R. English (Nadja) of Delray Beach, FL, daughter Jeanne M. Gesumaria (Sam) of Carmel, CA, and niece Andrea de Leon (Todd Burrowes) of New Gloucester, ME.

The English family wishes to extend heartfelt thanks to the lifelong bonds of friendship Gloria formed in Rockland, those who have passed as well as those who continue to gather weekly in support of one another – the Bag (lunch) Ladies as they refer to themselves and to the loyal members of R.I.C.H. Rockland Investment Club Hopefuls, Gloria’s long-time friends and fellow investors. Heartfelt thanks go to Sunrise Senior Living of New City, its administrators, healthcare professionals, and caregivers who sustain the residents who choose to live there.

Visitation Monday, April 8, 2019, 4:00 PM -7:00 PM, and Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM, with a Memorial Service to commence at 11:00 AM. Michael J. Higgins Funeral Service, 321 South Main Street, New City, NY 10956, (845) 634-6110.