Gloria McKee, a resident of Solvang for 45 years, passed away on July 26th, 2013. For the last year and a half she has been a resident of Merrill Gardens in Santa Maria.
She was born Gloria Pauline Hoar in Boston, Mass. on Feb. 9, 1926 and graduated from Norwood High School and the Hickox Secretarial School in Boston. She was employed by the Red Cross and worked several years before marrying her husband, Claude L. McKee, in 1947. She and her husband enjoyed 50 years of marriage before he passed away in 1997.
Gloria continued working after their marriage while Claude attended North Eastern University. He was employed by Western Electric as an electrical engineer and was transferred 11 times throughout their marriage before settling in the Santa Ynez Valley. Gloria and he raised three children, Dorothy Thues (Stan) of Conifer, CO; Lauren Watts (David) of Solvang and Duane McKee (Susie) of New Smyrna Beach, FL. She has 7 grandchildren Greg and Daniel Thues; Nathan (Bethany) and Bryan (Maggie) Watts; and Sarah (Ben), Matthew (Mimi) and Jennifer McKee as well as 3 great grandchildren.
A Memorial Service is planned for Friday, August 2nd at 2 p.m. at the Loper Funeral Chapel in Ballard. Private Interment at Highland Cemetery in Norwood, Massachusetts. Loper Funeral Chapel, Directors
