Gloria "Nanny" DeLuca

SALEM – Gloria Constance (Luce) DeLuca, our beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother died peacefully on May 16, 2016 after a long and arduous battle with her health. She was born on May 22, 1924 in Lynn, Massachusetts and was the seventh of eight children born to Arthur and Grace (Perkins) Lurvey. She is survived by her three children and their spouses: Cynthia Ann (Luce) Coords and her husband Dwight of Franklinville, New York, Judith Grace (Luce) Zollner and her husband, Morrie of Salem, Oregon, and James Frederick Luce and his wife, Holly, of Denville, New Jersey. Gloria also has 13 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

She is also survived by her brother Alvan Lurvey of New Hampshire who was her play partner all throughout her childhood. Their favorite activity was to go to watch a Tom Mix cowboy movie on Saturdays. Gloria’s father was a wealthy businessman but in 1929, when Gloria was only 5 years old, he lost everything. One man owed so much money to Arthur that he paid his debt with a Duisenberg! Eventually, they were forced to sell that car as well. Gloria shared stories of standing in the bread line for hours to get food for the family.

Gloria, AKA Nanny, was always searching to know more about God. She would often visit church after church seeking something but she wasn’t even sure what she was looking for. Finally, she found a personal relationship with Christ through a Charles E. Fuller Gospel radio program. She graduated from Lynn High School in 1942 with excellent grades as a member of the National Honor Society but there was no money to go on to college so she went to work for General Electric. It was here that she met George Griggs Luce, a young engineer who also working for GE. They were married for 28 years and had three children.

Nanny had a zest and exuberance for life that was unparalleled. She could make a friend going through the checkout line in a store. She was bold in her faith and politics and wasn’t afraid to stand up for her beliefs or to create controversy in doing so! You always knew how Nanny felt about an issue--she was never one to hide her emotions.

When Gloria decided to go back to work when her three children were older, she went to a temporary employment agency to seek employment and they were so impressed by her that they hired her to work for them! Gloria ran a personnel agency for many years. Following her divorce to George Luce, she moved to Old Lyme, Connecticut. She was invited by a girlfriend to go on a cruise and got very seasick. Her girlfriend flagged down a man in a white uniform thinking that he was a doctor. He was an officer on the ship, the chief steward, but he came to help. That was when Luigi DeLuca from Genoa, Italy fell in love for the first time in his life! They ended up marrying in 1971 and lived and loved together for almost 30 years until his death in 2004.

There were over 65 people that came to Gloria’s 90th birthday to wish her well. As she talked about her life of 90 years, the most important piece of her life was shared when she said to the crowd, “If you don’t know much about the Bible, please investigate Jesus!”

Gloria’s zest for life came crashing down when she fell on her head following a stroke in March, 2015. This left her in a wheelchair and the need for a 24/7 caregiver. We are grateful to Diane, Gloria’s caregiver and friend this past year. She and her family including April, her daughter, became Gloria’s extended family. Despite having lost so much, Gloria continued to fight courageously to try and walk with a walker and improve the quality of her life. Never during this time did she complain but showed such grace and determination. Most of all, she continued to show love to everyone. Her friend, David Hoyt, was a faithful friend who came every day to eat lunch and dinner with her. Toward the end of her days, she realized that her body was shutting down even though her mind was so clear and she was at peace knowing that she would see Jesus, the one who changed her life and gave her life eternal. She was looking forward to her mansion in heaven!