Gloria Jane Herrmann

Gloria Jane Herrmann, 79, of St. Joseph passed away Monday, March 24, 2014 at her home in The Willows Assisted Living Center in St. Joseph. Her family will be gathering privately to celebrate Gloria’s life.  Memorial contributions may be made to the Humane Society of Southwest Michigan, or the Greater Michigan Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Those wishing to sign Gloria’s guestbook may do so online at www.starks-menchinger.com. Gloria was born April 18, 1934 in Elgin, IL to Frank & Edith (Honert) Erdmann. She was a 1952 graduate of Elgin High School. After graduation she worked as a stewardess for Northwest Orient Airlines.  She loved to tell a story about the time a pilot let her fly the airplane while they were returning an empty plane to the home airport. Next she married and started her family and kept a busy schedule caring for her children and her home. In earlier years, Gloria was a volunteer with the Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, a brownie leader for her daughter and a room mother for both of her children throughout their school years. Gloria was always focused on helping her children at any opportunity. She had a special talent when it came to crafts. Gloria knitted, cross stitched, completed needlework and sewed, including many dance and equestrian costumes. When no longer married, Gloria continued her focus on her family, taking an active role in helping to raise her granddaughters, including spending time with them while their parents worked, picking them up from school and driving them to activities.  She maintained the tradition of baking Christmas cookies with all three of them for many years.  She made them countless costumes, stuffed animals, and other special items, but most memorable to her family was the elaborate and detailed birthday cakes she made for her granddaughters, 50 cakes in all.  Beginning in 1990 Gloria’s sister and brother-in-law lived in St. Joseph for 17 years allowing Lorraine and Gloria to spend time together.  Their Saturday ritual was to visit the library, go to lunch and maybe spend some time shopping as well.  Family members recall realizing their presence in a store by the sound of their giggling. In recent years, Gloria enjoyed frequent visits with family members and walks in the courtyard at The Willows.  She especially enjoyed her weekly phone calls with her sister Lorraine, who would invoke laughter as they reminisced about times past.  Gloria became very close to her caregivers at The Willows and loved them all, but was especially fond of Kenya Collins and Tina Proctor.    Gloria is survived by her daughter Heidi (Michael) Merchant of St. Joseph; son Michael (Susan) Herrmann of Benton Harbor; grandchildren Melanie & Rebecca Merchant and Julianna Herrmann and sister Lorraine Palm of Blaine, MN. She was preceded in death by her father Frank, mother Edith, step father Al Krejci, and brother-in-law, Robert Palm.