Obituary of Gloria Gramlich

Gloria Gramlich (Pappalardo), 87, of Port Jefferson Station, New York, passed away on May 1, 2019 in Northridge, California.

Visitation will be held at Branch Funeral Home, Miller Place, Long Island, NY on Friday, May 10 at noon, followed by a Celebration of Life at 1 pm. Burial will then take place at Calverton National Cemetery, Calverton, NY. 

Gloria was born in Brooklyn, NY to Rose Friedman and Joseph Pasquale on April 24, 1932. Throughout her childhood, she lived with loving extended family on Warwick St. in East New York. She was later adopted by her stepfather Philip DeMeo when he and Rose married in 1944. Gloria married Salvatore J. Pappalardo in 1953, raising their three children in Jericho, NY. Gloria earned Master’s degrees from each of Hofstra University and the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University. Following time as a book proofreader in Westbury, NY, she went on to work at as a Special Education Teacher at the Manhattan School for Career Development, winning an award for outstanding New York City teacher, presented to her by Mayor Ed Koch. She married John C. Gramlich in 1985, and they lived in Port Jefferson Station, NY. Writing poetry was central to Gloria’s life, including publication of the book Grandma’s Garden in 2015. In addition, she enjoyed a variety of crafts and was a lover of animals.

Gloria is survived by her children Audrey L. Pappalardo, Jack D. Pappalardo (Georgia Amar), and Robert T. Pappalardo (Mabel Young), and her grandchildren Amanda N. Kushner, Lauren R. Kushner, and Jennifer L. Kushner. She is preceded in death by her parents and by her husbands.

Memorial donations may be made to Advocates for Children of New York <www.advocatesforchildren.org>, which promotes access to education for at-risk students in New York City.