Gloria Concha

Early life and family

Gloria was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, to Isaac and Mary H. Morales. A second-generation Texan, she was the oldest of five siblings: Ofelia Castillo, Belinda Cromp, Rosemary Navarro, and Jesse Morales.

Gloria attended L. K. Hall Elementary School, L. V. Stockard Middle School, and Justin F. Kimball High School. She later attended Dallas College’s Mountain View and El Centro campuses.

Work and career

Gloria began working while still in high school, serving “sopapillas” at El Fenix Restaurant. She initially pursued nursing but quickly discovered she was uncomfortable giving injections. She then moved into business, where her fast and accurate typing helped her find work with organizations including Blue Cross Blue Shield and Mobil Oil.

From 1993 to 2013, Gloria worked at Federal Home Loan Bank. Gloria retired early from her career to spend time with her mother, who passed away in November 2015.

Marriage and personal life

Gloria met her future husband, Andrew, at church in 1977. They married in Dallas in July 1978 and shared 48 years of marriage. In 1993, they bought the home where they lived together for the rest of her life.

Gloria was a loving wife, sister, daughter, aunt, great-aunt, friend, and colleague. Gloria enjoyed going out to dinner, trying different restaurants, and looked forward to traveling with Andrew. Whether traveling to visit family or tagging along with Andrew on a business trip, her preference was to stay at a 5-star hotel.

Gloria loved spending time with her siblings’ children and grandchildren and took every opportunity to spoil them. Gloria loved babies – whether a relative’s baby or a stranger’s baby in a restaurant, if she heard a baby crying, Gloria wanted to know what the Mama was doing wrong. A relaxing night at home for Gloria consisted of cuddling on the couch next to Andrew while she worked a word puzzle or browsed her latest People Magazine.

Gloria’s favorite’s include the color purple, her favorite food is sour cream chicken enchiladas, her favorite restaurant is Herrera’s Mexican Food, and favorite dessert is Rocky Road Ice cream.

Final years

Gloria’s health declined due to dementia during her later years.

Special thanks to Oxford Glen memory care and Suncrest hospice services along with special caregivers who provided loving care to Gloria in our home: Ms. Lillie Douglas & Ms. Myrna Whitaker.