Gloria Marie Manson Morton
Gloria Marie Manson Morton, 84, resident of The Bluffs in Houghton, passed away Saturday, June 4, 2016 while undergoing cardiac surgery rehabilitation in West Allis, Wisconsin.
She was born on January 18, 1932, in Calumet, Michigan to Vincent and Helen (Brozovich) Antonich. Gloria graduated from Calumet High School and was married to Carl William Manson on January 28, 1950. The couple moved to the Detroit area where their first three children were born. In 1957, Carl was offered a job with Arabian American Oil Company (now Saudi Aramco), and the family relocated to Saudi Arabia. Their fourth child was born there in 1962.
From 1967 through 1972 they lived in San Rafael, California, Leysin, Switzerland, and Houghton, Michigan. In 1972 Gloria and Carl moved back to Saudi Arabia and resumed the expatriate life with Saudi Aramco, with a short assignment in Beirut, Lebanon, with the Trans-Arabian Pipeline Company. In 1977 they retired from Aramco and moved back to Houghton, Michigan.
Gloria and Carl enjoyed an active social life with relatives and friends in the Copper Country, plus traveling to visit their children in the US and to various overseas destinations. Gloria was employed by Michigan Technological University during this time.
In 1984 the couple moved to Spring Hill, Florida, to enjoy a more temperate climate. Carl passed away in 1994, and Gloria moved to New Mexico to be closer to family. In 1999 she married Colonel William R. Morton (USAF, retired) of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Gloria and Bill had an active social and church life, volunteering many hours of work on area poverty outreach programs and Camp Stoney in Santa Fe, a summer camp/retreat run by the Episcopal Church. They also had time for travel within the US, Canada, Hawaii, and overseas. Bill passed away in 2011, and Gloria moved to Houghton to be closer to family in 2013.
Gloria loved to travel and in her life saw much of the world, especially Europe and the Middle East. She maintained a copious correspondence with many dear friends all over the world. She was an excellent cook and hostess, as well as an accomplished seamstress and knitter. She learned to ski in Austria and was an avid downhill skier for much of her life. Her greatest pleasure was socializing and cooking gourmet dinners for her family and numerous friends. She especially loved spending time with her beloved grandchildren.
Gloria is survived by her four children: Judith (Barry) Endsley of Calumet, Jessica (Steven) Whitfield of Georgetown, Texas, Elizabeth (Mark) Kestner of Scottsdale, Arizona, and Peter (Barbara) Manson of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; her three stepchildren Randall (Nancy) Morton, Marc (Yvonne) Morton, and Craig (Debbie) Morton. She is also survived by five grandchildren: Jack Kestner, Jane Kestner, Robert Whitfield, Kevin Arthur Endsley, and Isabel Manson; brother Vincent (Ann) Antonich of Spring Lake, Michigan; and sister Betty Voight of West Allis, Wisconsin.
Gloria has requested that there be no memorial service. In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, the family encourages donations to Beacon House, 1301 N 3rd St, Marquette, MI 49855