Gloria Jean Benden

Gloria was born on January 12, 1941. Her father, Louis Salvatore Petriello, immigrated from Italy with his parents, Michael and Virginia and married Doris Virginia Smith of Washington, DC. Gloria was an only child. At the age of two, her father, USMC, was killed during WWII and she continued to grow up with her mother and step-father, George Moore of Whitehall, Illinois, USNAVY, in Virginia. Her mom passed in 1967 and Gloria cared for George later in his life.

Gloria attended Anacostia High School. She was a cheerleader and loved dancing. She was swept off her feet during high school and married the love of her life, Thomas Paul Benden a young carpenter, from a small town, Altoona, Pennsylvania. She always told us he was the most handsome gentle loving man she ever met. She often spoke about his Catholic faith, his soft white blonde hair and blue eyes. They moved to Manassas where they built their family home on Walden Street. They had two daughters, Patricia Ann and Barbara Jean. After 8 years of marriage, Thomas became ill and passed away.

Gloria began her new journey and went on to raise her two daughters as a widow. She faced many obstacles and challenges along the way. She had to teach herself how to drive and to find her first job while raising two little girls. She began as a health care worker at Prince William Hospital. She then obtained a bookkeeping position at Malloy Dodge Auto Sales. To make ends meet, she added a third position at Justice Motors. Eventually, she was hired as a clerk by Safeway Stores. She worked her way into a management position at Safeway. Gloria was promoted to higher and higher management positions during an era when most of these positions were filled by men. Due to her commitment and great work ethic, she proved no job was too hard for her. She worked double shifts and all holidays including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Sundays. Sometimes, she worked at multiple locations and would have to travel up to 100 miles a day. She was always eager to learn. She was always eager to improve things for her family. During her career she experienced some scary situations due to her positions and working late shifts. Once she was held at gunpoint. Another time, she was attacked in the store parking lot. Sometimes, she was harassed at her home and had multiple cases of vandalism to her vehicles. She persevered for her family.

Gloria was always in touch with her relatives, near and far. She kept reminding her girls to keep family traditions. In 1999, Gloria survived heart failure and decided to retire. She sold her home in Montclair, Virginia, and moved to Lake of the Woods where she lived close to family and made many friends. Gloria was very proud of her daughters and kept them in all her conversations. If you knew Gloria, she was either talking about Patty or Barbara or one of their children. She was very happy to be “NANNY” and tell you about the grandchildren and great grandchildren she had in her life.

Gloria had beautiful blue eyes and a funny laugh. She had a great sense of humor and she never hesitated to speak her mind. She was sharp. She loved math and she was great at counting money. She had great people skills. She was tough but treated you straight. She was honest and had great values in her job and for her family. She was proud, practical and humble. She was a protector. She was a leader.

She enjoyed watching her stories, the movies with the grands, watching reruns of Elvis movies, Captain Kirk as well as Law and Order, listening to pop music. She joined fan clubs for Elvis, Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdink. Gloria always had a fast car, she would tell you she had a boost button in her Rav 4 and sometimes make her car dance. Her favorite colors were blue and purple. She loved to entertain family and friends. In the younger years, every 4th of July she would host a birthday celebration for Patty and Barbara with fireworks, her famous meatballs and fried chicken. She loved a cup of hot tea before bed, a rare steak filet for dinner, a pot of soup on any afternoon, movie popcorn, and an ice cream sundae from Tastee Freeze. She would have an occasional Michelob after work or a Harvey Wallbanger when entertaining. She had two dogs whom brought her much happiness, Shadow and Molly, as well as many friends.

She missed her husband every day. Even 56 years after his passing she would tell you a story about him and always spoke about how someday they would be reunited. In her final week, she said “I am tired and ready to rejoin my husband” and now she has. We know they are happy to be together again.

Gloria will be remembered in the hearts of all of you who met her as a strong, hard working, independent woman, who triumphed over life’s difficulties and believed in the American Dream.

We are proud of our Mom. We are thankful for everything she taught and gave to us. We will miss her.

A visitation for Gloria will be held Monday, February 20, 2023 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Mullins & Thompson Funeral Service, 1621 Emancipation Hwy, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401. A funeral mass will occur Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 11:00 AM at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 12975 Purcell Road, Manassas, VA.

The family request memorial donations be made to the Wounded Warriors in memory of Gloria Jean Benden