SHARON, Conn. – Gloria Ricker Gramaglia, 83, of Salisbury, Connecticut, died unexpectedly on April 5, 2020, at Sharon Hospital following a brief illness. She was the wife of the late Ron Gramaglia and the loving mother of Mary, Clare, Thomas, William and Charles. Born Gloria Susanne Ricker in Lewiston, Maine on June 19, 1936 to Charles W. Ricker and Gertrude O’Brien, she was raised in Poland Spring, Maine. She graduated from St. Joseph’s Academy in Portland and Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, and in 1957 earned a graduate degree in Dietetics and Nutrition from Tufts University.In August 1959 Gloria married Ron, whom she met on the beach in Fort Lauderdale during spring break 1956. They settled in suburban New York and raised five children, with Gloria returning to work as soon as their youngest entered school. She taught classes in Nutrition at several Westchester County colleges and worked at Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville and for the New York State Department of Health. In 1986 Gloria and Ron moved to Morristown, New Jersey, where they lived for a dozen years before retiring to Windham, Maine.In Windham, Gloria became an active hospice volunteer, and in 2018 she moved to Salisbury where she became an active participant at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church and as a volunteer at Noble Horizons as a compassionate listener. A true Mainer despite many years living outside the state, she truly exemplified the qualities of humility, independence, and perseverance. She never lost the Maine accent of which she was very proud, and she was an avid reader, gardener, and baker of apple pies.Gloria is survived by five children and their spouses: Mary Gramaglia and Luis Lizarralde, of McLean, Virginia; Clare Rashkoff, of Lakeville, Connecticut; Thomas Gramaglia and Margaret Leeson, of Concord, Massachusetts; William and Marni Gramaglia, of Milford, Pennsylvania; and Charles Gramaglia and Lesley Duncombe, of Kensington, Maryland. She will be sorely missed by her eleven grandchildren: Nicolas and Thomas Lizarralde; Daniel, Adam, Noah and Rebecca Rashkoff; Abigail, Peter and Silas Gramaglia; and Alexandra and Stephanie Gramaglia. She is also survived by a great-granddaughter, Rosa Baltner, daughter of Adam and his wife Maike Baltner, and three siblings to whom she was very close: Angela Ricker, of Beverly Hills, Florida; Lucy Sheehan, of Norwell, Massachusetts; and Charles Ricker, of Wisconsin.Gloria was laid to rest in the Ricker family cemetery in Poland Spring, Maine, on Good Friday, April 10, her husband’s birthday. There will be a celebration of Gloria’s life later this year. Please consider a contribution to Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Squadin her name.

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