Gloria C. Ponder

Gloria Cother Ponder, 99, departed from this life on Wednesday, July 15, in her home in North Little Rock, Arkansas, with beloved family at her side. Gloria was born on March 5, 1927, in Wren Township, Monroe County, Mississippi. She is preceded in death by her parents, E.E. “Gene” Cother and Miriam Davis Cother; her husband Clark Gerald “Jerry” Ponder; sisters Sara Cother Tarver and Myra Cother Runyon, and brother Don Cother. Also preceding her in death was her dear friend and longtime companion, Fred Keltner.

Gloria is survived and remembered with joy by her daughter Gail Ponder Gaines (Gary) and son Gilbert Ponder (Kelley); three grandsons, Matthew Ponder, Andrew Ponder, and Jacob Ponder, who will fondly remember her as GoGo, the name she chose for her grandchildren to call her.

She graduated from North Little Rock High School in 1945, and graduated from Little Rock Junior College (today known as UALR) in 1947.

Gloria’s marriage of 35 years to Jerry Ponder began in 1957, and their first child, Gail, was born the following year; son Gilbert arrived in 1965.

She retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and had previously worked for the Veterans Administration.

In the years following husband Jerry’s death in 1992, Gloria developed a close relationship with Fred Keltner, with whom she had gone to high school; Gloria and Fred were “sweethearts” for almost 25 years until his passing in 2020.

She loved reading, Cryptoquote puzzles, Rummikub, dancing (both ballroom and line dancing), walking outside, and above all spending time with her family and friends. Gloria taught line dancing classes at senior centers and volunteered in literacy programs reading to elementary school children.

Gloria was quite famously active and vigorous in her later years, and well into her nineties could be spotted taking early morning walks around the Lakewood lakes, whatever the weather.

The family wishes to express their profound gratitude to Nurse Hannah and the rest of the care team with Home Hospice Care for their compassion and professionalism. Their help and guidance made it possible for Gloria to spend her final days in the familiar surroundings of her home and with her family always at her side.