Gloria Bareño Khoury

Gloria Bareño Khoury, was born on May 29, 1943 in San Diego, California to John Meza and Francis Tovar Bareño. She is predeceased by her parents as well as her older brother, John, and younger sister, Sylvia, and her husband of 49 years, Simon Khoury.

She lived her early years in San Diego, living in Mission Hills. She moved away during High School to Rialto, CA where her father was the mayor and later became a history teacher. Her mother was a homemaker and a stellar cook. Gloria loved her family and was especially close with her sister, her grandmother, Natividad, and her mother.

Gloria attended SDSU College and obtained her BA in Fine Arts. She also studied for her Masters of Fine Arts at her alma mater. She continued to study painting, drawing and mixed media throughout her life. She was a prolific painter and loved figure painting and bold colors.

In 1968 she met Simon Khoury while she was a student. They married and had two daughters together. She has three grandchildren. She loved spending time with them and especially making art with her granddaughters. She relied on her grandson for her phone, electronic and wi-fi issues. She loved her children and grandchildren above all else.

She was always excited to learn new media and techniques. In her most recent classes, she explored new concepts and began to use oil paints. She enjoyed painting landscapes, the ocean and clouds. She made lifelong friends in her art classes and book club, whom she loved dearly. She loved going to painting class and Spanish book club meetings even when she was challenged to get there in her wheelchair.

Gloria was a highly skilled painter who had her art displayed at local museums and participated in the Mengei Museum’s charity art sale. She also traveled with friends from her art class and book club. In 2016 she won a prize in the Del Mar Fair for a painting of her granddaughter Emily, which she was very proud of.

Gloria was a pleasure to be near and had a contagious positive aura. She was beautiful and loved fashion. She found joy in looking her best and always being on trend. Makeup was another form of art for her, and she never left the house without being completely “put together”. She was also an avid interior designer and undertook many interior and exterior home improvement projects.

In 2015, Gloria’s husband passed away after a short battle with cancer. The unexpected death of her husband left her to switch her gears into business and finance mode at break neck speed. Though this type of work was unfamiliar to her, she took to the steep learning curve with the help of her skilled and trusted advisors. Gloria took charge of her life and unraveled the complicated estate plan left to her.

In April of 2017, she had a major back surgery after years of braving debilitating pain. The surgery alleviated some but not all the pain she experienced and left her unable to walk independently, but that did not slow her down much. She traveled the world and went to the far corners of the planet all in her wheelchair. Between 2017 and 2020 she went to Casablanca, Morocco, England, Russia, Spain, Denmark, Finland, Barcelona and through the Canary Islands. Earlier in her life, she traveled around the world, from Antarctica to Tierra del Fuego. She had plans to go to several more countries in 2021.

In her last weeks, she resolved several major issues and her mood greatly lifted. She completed arduous tasks that were onerous but, she felt, vital to her life’s purpose. She found dedicated professionals who helped her execute her plans with her estate and future, helping her regain control of all of her affairs. As she commented last week, she felt like her life had finally “come together.”

She was planning gatherings with her close friends, Spanish Book Club and Art Class whom she’d missed seeing since quarantine began. She was looking forward to a bright, relaxed future spent with her family, friends, art, delicious food and travel. She was living with assistance in her own home, painting, shopping, conducting business and making her own decisions in all matters until her final day.

Gloria will be dearly missed by her loving family, friends, fellow artists, Spanish book enthusiasts and everyone who knew and worked with her. This world has lost a tender soul who hoped for beauty in all things. May you Rest in eternal Peace dear Gloria.