How do you define the qualities of a good mother?

Kindness, caring, compassion, loving, and nurturing…

…strength, courage, and consistency…

…and let’s not forget about generosity and of course, selflessness.

These are just a few of the qualities that made Gloria Bloore such a wonderful mother, and more importantly – a beautiful person. These qualities weren’t just reserved for her three children but were spread freely among family and friends alike.

Gloria’s ability to put her own selfish interests aside in favor of other’s was her superpower. It’s what made her so incredibly unique in a time when so many are obsessively focused inward.

Unlike most people Gloria was never too busy, tired, or wound up in her own life to think about and prioritize the feelings of others above her own. Her superpower was on display even at an early age. As evidence of this, a needle remains permanently stuck in the bottom of her foot because after stepping on it as a small child Gloria said, “I didn’t want to bother momma.”

But that was Gloria, selfless even to a fault. Always thinking of others first and deriving happiness not from her own accolades, accomplishments, or even experiences but from adding value to others. Making someone else smile was what brought her joy.

She was born in Chicago to parents Michael and Helen Kundrat. Not surprisingly, Gloria was born in the middle with three older siblings: Carole, David, Joyce – and two younger siblings: Helenmarie and Johnny.

For Gloria, it was always family first and she loved her family dearly. Especially near and dear to her heart were her two sisters Joyce and Helenmarie, who she remained close with and saw regularly right up until the day she passed on May 21, 2021.

From an early age Gloria had two goals: first, to get out of school which she wasn’t particularly fond of in order to make her own money… and second, to be a mom just like her favorite person in the world – her mother Helen.

She fancied cute shoes and adored a matching outfit – the more sparkles the better. To be able to afford such luxuries she went to work at W.T. Grant’s, a mass merchandise retailer. That’s where she met her one true love, lifelong partner, and soulmate Jack Bloore who stopped in one day to visit his mother who also happened to work at the store.

Jack was opposite of Gloria in many respects. Gloria was a well-manicured, well-dressed beauty that stayed on the straight and narrow and mostly followed her parents’ rules, which were many. Jack was a boisterous, charismatic chatterbox, rule breaker, and a bit of a rebel that like to drive motorcycles and race cars. Opposites attract and they fell in love.

Gloria loved Jack dearly and often spoke of her fondness for him. They married in 1970 and started a family a few years later. Only half the mother of her mom Helen as her sister Helenmarie liked to joke, Gloria had three children: Amy, Laura, and John Jr also known as Jackson.

The consummate wife and mother, Gloria really excelled after having children. Involved, kind, compassionate, and selfless she would have given everything and anything for her children.

From skimping, saving, and working a second job to send her children to Catholic School to waiting in line at Footlocker to make sure her son always had the latest pair of Air Jordan’s – Gloria would go to great lengths to ensure her kids always had the best of everything.

And for some reason, Santa always seemed to drop off a lot more gifts at the Bloore residence than any other house on the block. Christmas morning looked more like a toy store exploded than a simple exchange of a few gifts.

But Santa’s generosity could have also been for the extravagant decorating she loved to do around the holidays. The over-the-top display included a custom-built gingerbread house, Candy Cane Lane, and of course – the North Pole with Frosty the Snowman, Santa, and his reindeer.

Why did she go to all this trouble?

Because she wanted to bring a smile to the face of someone, anyone that might be driving down the block at night on a cold and otherwise bleak winter evening in Chicago.

And to beat the neighbors because nobody was going to outdo Gloria.

She cultivated her skill at wrapping, decorating, and arranging while working at The Flower Box located in Chicago’s Hegewisch neighborhood on the far south-east side. She loved this job because of the people she worked with and because of the purpose.

A florist’s job is to make someone else, often a stranger, happy and bring a smile to their face while remaining nameless and without recognition. And this was what Gloria was best at.

She was the type of woman that would offer the mailman an ice-cold pop on a hot summer morning and would bake boxes – yes boxes – of cookies for her kids to take on trips with their friends… when they were fully-grown adults in their late 20’s and early 30’s.

Gloria never stopped being a mother, selfless and generous until the day she passed. Even when she was diagnosed with stage 4 gallbladder cancer, she didn’t tell anyone other than her husband Jack because she didn’t want anyone to worry about her. And she certainly didn’t want anyone making a fuss over her.

But there was more to Gloria than just generosity and kindness. There was a fierceness, fire, and strength to her that bubbled beneath the surface. When her cousin Christine passed away a few years ago, at the funeral Gloria described her in a single word as “sister.”

Despite his closeness, Gloria never shed a single tear at the service. Gloria’s sister Helenmarie later asked her, “How did you manage to not cry at the funeral?”

Gloria replied, “I just told myself not to cry and I didn’t.”

This silent strength, combined with her kindness and selflessness is what made Gloria truly formidable as a wife, mother, family member, and friend. And someone you always wanted to have on your side. Because when on your side, her generosity knew no bounds.

Later in life, Gloria’s superpower was primarily directed toward her grandchildren: Madison, Mikayla, Amya, and John whom she loved dearly. Despite failing health, lots of doctors, and more hospital visits than one can count – these kids always brought a smile to her face.

When she couldn’t walk anymore and had to get assistance, she was excited because the kids could play in her wheelchair. Again, always thinking of others first.

Gloria’s greatest joys in life were marrying her soulmate Jack, watching her daughter Laura marry an equally great and hardworking man in Chris who also used to ride motorcycles and race cars, spoiling her grandkids, and watching her son Jackson marry a wonderful woman named Anya just 13 days before she passed into Heaven.

She will be missed by many, none more so than her lifelong partner Jack who was fittingly by her bedside holding her hand for her final breath. As Gloria once said, “I could do without a lot of things: friends, parties, and socializing among them. But I could never do without Jack.”

Everyone likes to say their family comes first, but when examining the way people spend their time – very few people measure up. Instead, most people procrastinate, postpone, and hesitate when it comes to family. After all, they will always be there and there is always tomorrow.

Work today, family tomorrow. Vacation today, family tomorrow. Netflix now, call mom or dad later…

But if there is only one thing you learn from the life of Gloria Bloore it’s this: don’t wait to prioritize those closest to you: to say I love you, hug a little harder, give a gift, make a phone call, write a card, or even send a text message.

That was one thing Gloria was GREAT at. She never hesitated to show kindness, compassion, or generosity to those around her. And while she might occasionally put you in the doghouse for a few days, she never waited long to welcome you back with open arms.

From an early age she was clear on what she wanted, executed relentlessly at achieving it, and never stopped pursing it until she was gone. Clarity, focus, generosity, love, kindness, and selflessness even when it wasn’t in her own best interest.

The people Gloria impacted throughout her lifetime will never move on. You can’t simply move on from someone like that, nor would you want to. But the people she touched will move forward carrying with them the love and kindness Gloria showed them during her all-too-short life.

As she said during one of her last days on earth, “Learn something from this.”

Leading by example, we certainly will.

I love you mom and miss you dearly already.

Your son,

Jackson