Gloria Jean Gummelt, 71, of San Antonio, Texas, passed away Thursday, July 23, 2020, after a year-long battle with cancer. Her husband, Lee Gummelt, and all four of her children were at her side in her eldest son’s home when she went to be with the Lord.
Gloria was born in Amarillo, Texas, to Albert Anthony “Curly” Rogers (died 1987) and Wilda Ann Rogers (died 2016). The fifth of nine children, she married very young and had three children in short order. Ten years later, she had another son. In 1982, Gloria met Earl Jackson. They were married in 1983 and at that time she welcomed a step-daughter into her ever-growing family. In 1986, Earl and Gloria relocated to Sacramento, California, for Earl’s job. While there, she made many good friends and loved the beauty, attractions, and climate of California, but missed Texas and especially Texas people and her family. In 1994, they returned to Texas and lived in the DFW area for nine years. In 2013, Earl’s career took them back to West Texas, where they lived until he passed away after 32 years of marriage. At 70 years young, Gloria was not looking or expecting to meet someone, but she had the good fortune of being introduced to Lee Gummelt of San Antonio. They became best friends, then fell in love, and the family welcomed Lee with open arms. They married in November of 2018 and made their home in San Antonio. They enjoyed each other immensely and traveled to Ireland for their honeymoon. Lee tenderly cared for Gloria after her cancer diagnosis and helped her wage the fight of her life until the very end.
Gloria was beautiful, smart, and blessed with a boundless supply of energy. She worked circles around people half her age. Her laugh came easy and she often got tickled to the point of being incapacitated. She was VERY punctual, and her employers could rely on her to be professional, well-dressed, and take pride in her work. She loved to travel and dine out. She realized a lifelong dream when she traveled to Italy with her daughters—a trip she spoke about often. She was a gifted interior decorator known for the beauty of her home and the homes of her clients. She appreciated beauty and had a great eye for it. The Christmas decorations she installed were legendary. She loved holidays and went all out to celebrate them.
Gloria was a devoted wife who supported her husbands through good times and bad. She was gracious and loving toward her children—even helping them in their business startups—and was not shy about telling people about all of their accomplishments. Nicknamed “Grandma Minnie,” she influenced her grandchildren a great deal and was usually their favorite person growing up. Trips to her house were highly sought after by all.
She loved the Lord and sought to know Him more as she grew older. The joy she brought into so many people’s lives will be hard to live without. Her greatest legacy, though, is the family she leaves behind, including five brothers and three sisters; her husband, Lee Gummelt of San Antonio; her children and their spouses—son Rodney and April Doyle of Allen, TX; daughter Rhonda and Tim Erb of Amarillo, TX; daughter Robin and Todd McFarland of Amarillo, TX; son Darren and Sharon Doyle of Leander, TX; step-daughter Shelley and Jeff Montgomery of Amarillo, TX.
Gloria also leaves behind 18 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
A “come and go” visitation will be held on Thursday, July 30, 2020 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home. Only a limited number of guests will be allowed to enter the funeral home facility at any one time to maintain social distancing.
A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Friday, July 31, 2020, at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home Chapel, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas, and will also be live streamed on the Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Facebook page and a recorded video will be available following the funeral service on Gloria's obituary page.
In support of our local, state, and federal govt including CDC directives and to protect the physical health, safety and well-being of our community, only a limited number of guests will be allowed to attend the Funeral Service.
However, when the maximum number of guests are reached, those who would like to honor Gloria and show their support to her family may remain at the funeral home in your vehicle, where you can watch the live streamed service on your personal device (laptop, tablet or smartphone) or listen through a designated FM radio channel.