Mary Gloria Rall

Mary Gloria Monteiro Rall, a Washington, D.C. artist and educator, passed away on Saturday, November 15, 2025, at the age of 95. She was born on December 17, 1929, in New Orleans, Louisiana, the second of five children of Captain (USCG) Charles R. Monteiro and Victoria Elizabeth Salles. Gloria was a longtime resident of Washington, D.C., where she enjoyed distinguished careers in both the arts and education, retiring as Dean of Arts and Humanities at the Takoma Park campus of Montgomery College.

After graduating from Sacred Heart Academy in New Orleans, Gloria pursued formal studies in art at Southwest Louisiana Institute and later at Columbia University in New York City, where she earned her Master of Fine Arts. She began her career as an educator in Montgomery County, Maryland. Her career, which ultimately culminated in her deanship at Montgomery College, spanned 23 years, from 1963 to 1986. During this time she inspired generations of students to develop their artistic gifts, and her devotion to teaching leaves a legacy in the lives and work of those she mentored.

Gloria was not only an art educator but also an accomplished painter in the Washington, D.C. art community. Gloria’s work was influenced by Mark Rothko and by the Washington Color Circle. Her dynamic and evocative paintings were regularly exhibited for the public. She was also invited to exhibit internationally, including in Lithuania, and invited to judge various art shows throughout the Washington, D.C, area. Gloria was a founding member of Gallery 10 in Dupont Circle in Washington.

A major retrospective exhibition, Gloria Monteiro Rall: A Retrospective (Nov. 2015-Jan. 2016, Open Gallery, Silver Spring, MD), surveyed Gloria’s work from 1955 to 2000. The exhibition highlighted her exploration of light and color and noted her strong connections to the Washington Color School. Her painting Overlapping was featured as the cover art for Pathways of Addiction: Opportunities in Drug Abuse Research (1996).

Gloria had a deep love for theater and dramatic readings, starting in college where she performed in many plays and radio theater productions. In her retirement years, she frequently participated in play readings at the Washington D.C, Cosmos Club, where she was an active member. In addition, Gloria was an avid traveler, as well as a lover of books, games, excellent food, wine, and conversation.

Gloria was predeceased by her beloved husband, Dr. David Platt Rall, former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (1971-1990), as well as by her parents and her siblings, John D. Monteiro and Charles S. Monteiro of Houma, LA, Lucia Adele Taxdal of Winter Haven, FL and Anna Dora Brans of New Orleans, LA. She is survived by her step-daughter Catharyn Rall Ertel of Siegsdorf, Germany and her two daughters, her step-son Jonathan Rall of Lake Forest, California, her first cousins, Adele (Pie) Aiken and Charles Cobb, and numerous second and removed cousins. Gloria had no children of her own but remained interested and involved in the lives of her 22 nieces and nephews and their children.

Gloria will be greatly missed. She will be remembered most for her deep love of family, her passion for the arts, her unwavering commitment to inspiring future generations of artists, and the wonderful dinner parties she prepared for the enjoyment of family and friends.

A memorial service will be held at 10am at Joseph Gawler’s Sons, 5130 Wisconsin Ave NW. Washington, DC on December 14th, 2025, followed by a reception. Interment in her native New Orleans, LA, will follow at a later date.