Gloria Baldwin
Gloria Baldwin, age 83, died on Friday, April 11, 2014, at home in Palm Springs, California.
Gloria was born on Oct. 9, 1930, in Madison, the daughter of Nona (Sutter) and John Leichtenberg. She attended Blessed Sacrament Grade School, graduated from Edgewood High School in 1948 and from Edgewood College in 1953. Her teaching degree took her on assignments to places both at home and abroad. These included Modesto, Calif., where she taught kindergarten to the children of migrant farm workers, and elementary schools in Madison as well as Shorewood, Wis., Frankfurt, Germany, Saudi Arabia with the ARAMCO Oil Company and Galveston, Texas. Her travels throughout the Near East such as Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon were remarkable for a single woman during the late 1950s and early 1960s and included spending time with nomadic Bedouin of Saudi Arabia. Her delight as a childhood educator and appreciation for world cultures is evidenced in her children's book "The Adventures of Hassan and Zam Zam." With a newspaper or book forever in hand, Gloria stayed true to these early traveling and teaching experiences and maintained a daily interest in the going's on of humanity through both local and world news.
Gloria was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Louis Baldwin, an orthopedic surgeon; her sons, Bret and Bart Baldwin; her nephews, Michael and Andrew Leichtenberg; and her niece, Jackie (Leichtenberg) Bagnasco. She is survived by her daughter, Blythe Kelly Raphael and son-in-law, Steven Raphael of Oakland; two grandchildren, Antonio and Ariana; a brother and sister-in-law, James and Gerri Leichtenberg of Riverside, Calif.; a brother and sister-in-law, John and Joyce Leichetnberg of Madison; and four nieces, Julia Leichtenberg, Laura Leichtenberg, Ann O'Brien, and Jill Mattingly.
Gloria participated in Tiempo de los Ninos and various charities in Palm Springs throughout her 47 years as a resident. She is most known for helping those who had lost children through her service in Compassionate Friends. She was a devoted wife and mother. While she enjoyed growing up in Madison, with its splendid four seasons, she loved the desert and all its beauty, especially the mountains and the hot evening breezes of the summer. Gloria loved the architecture and history of old Palm Springs. She was happiest with a house full of children through the years, all of whom she loved greatly and unconditionally. Gloria will also be remembered for her courageousness in the face of multiple tragedies, forever cheerful nature, true love of holidays and family tradition and genuine interest in the welfare and happiness of the people she knew and loved. With a motto of "Keep pedaling" accompanied by a smiley face on her frequent written correspondences with friends and family, she will be dearly missed.
A memorial Mass in celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, May 31, 2014, at 10 a.m. at Our Lady OF Guadalupe Church in Palm Springs, Calif.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to two charities which Gloria supported for many years: Doctors Without Borders or Amnesty International.