Pretty, petite, artistic, and formidably smart, Gloria Tolmie Robertson cast off the limitations of this world—joyfully bound for Beulah Land—on October 4, 2023. A native Chattanoogan, Gloria attended Central High School before graduating from the University of Tennessee where she was a proud member of the UT Pride of the Southland Marching Band. Returning home to Chattanooga, Gloria met the love of her life, Jack Robertson, with whom she enjoyed a joyful, complementary and richly productive marriage starting in 1974 and ending, reluctantly, only after fulfilling her "until death do us part" wedding day vow. In the 49 years in between, Jack and Gloria played golf—at the Rivermont, Valleybrook, and Signal Mountain golf clubs in Chattanooga; the Gettysvue golf club in Knoxville; and various golf courses they happened upon during their many travels. As avid UT fans, Gloria and Jack were responsible for organizing charter buses that carried a raucous crowd of Big Orange fans from Chattanooga to Knoxville on gamedays for many years. Beyond their shared love of fun times with friends, Gloria—with her practical realism, and Jack—with his eternal optimism—also complemented each other perfectly as business partners. In the 1980s, Gloria started an employee leasing firm, Chattanooga Staffing. Later, she and Jack formed Robertson Sales Associates, a manufacturer rep agency in the cleaning supply business which they successfully operated for the remainder of Gloria's life. In the midst of it all, Gloria served in the Junior League in Chattanooga and Knoxville, the Andrew Bogle chapter of the DAR in Knoxville, and she found satisfaction in genealogical research confirming that she was a direct descendant of John Sevier, the first governor of Tennessee. Though Gloria and Jack eventually landed in Atlanta and enjoyed rich friendships there, Gloria was always a proud Tennessean at heart.
To really know Gloria, however, requires a brief anecdote. She was also a gifted artist. When they moved to their house in Atlanta, Gloria wanted something special for the walls of their dining room. She had admired the wallpaper selected by Jackie Kennedy for the reception room at the Whitehouse, referred to as “Vues d'Amérique Nord.” Of the various scenes of America adorning the Whitehouse, Gloria was partial to those representing the Hudson River Valley. When her quest to find a suitable reproduction of the wallpaper failed, Gloria simply got out her paint brush and painted it herself. And still today, the walls of Gloria’s dining room depict a perfect rendition of the Hudson River Valley scenes in the Kennedy Whitehouse. Similar talent reflected itself in everything she did. It would take her 40 minutes to prepare and assemble a BLT sandwich, but then you’d be thinking, “This is the finest BLT I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. The bread is toasted perfectly, the bacon is exactly the right degree of crisp, the tomatoes must have been picked from a garden this morning.” Mother Teresa is famously quoted for saying, "We cannot do great things—only small things with great love." With each brush stroke, with each perfect BLT sandwich, with each child's "dress-up" costume lovingly hand-stitched, and with each affirming word, Gloria communicated great love.
Gloria is survived by her husband, Jack Earl Robertson; nieces, Carey Campbell Steger (Chris), and Krista Hegburg; nephews, David Campbell (Rebekah), Dale Campbell (Kisha), and Justin Hegburg; grandnieces, Campbell Magallanes (Miles), Rainey Campbell, and Mia Blaise Campbell; grandnephews, Coen Campbell, Gus Campbell, Blaine Campbell and Hampton Campbell; and many beloved extended family members who connected to Jack and Gloria through golf, the Vols, good food, family reunions, shared memories, and wonderful conversation.
A memorial service will be held at the Chattanooga Funeral Home, East Chapel, on January 4, 2024, at 11:30 a.m. Finally, in lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to American Cancer Society PO Box 6704 Hagerstown, MD 21741 (https://donate.cancer.org.)
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