Gloria was born on January 27, 1930, in Aurora, Illinois, to Luther Fews and Martha (Long) Fews. She was the second oldest of four boys and four girls. It was a close family with their grandparents living above them. She was baptized Methodist and later Catholic at St. Nicholas (St. Mary) Church in Aurora.

Gloria attended public grade school but went to Madonna High School, which was right across the street from her home. It was in those years that Gloria became close to the School Sisters of St. Francis. There were many times when the sisters would call on her for help or just to enjoy her company. The sisters also helped her to learn how to play the violin and bass, which she later played in the Sisters’ Orchestra.

Because of her relationship with the sisters, Gloria decided to become Catholic. Initially, Gloria had a family member, Granny, who had a reservation about her decision. However, over time, Granny’s feeling changed as they engaged in open conversations and began to understand Gloria’s love for serving others.

After high school, in 1950, Gloria entered St. Joseph Convent in Milwaukee and was received in 1951 and given the name Sister Mary Gregoria. She began studies at Alverno College and although she started teaching at Holy Angels School in Chicago in 1953, her summers were busy with college classes. She graduated from Alverno in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science degree in education and minors in history and art.

For 16 years teaching at Holy Angels School, Gloria used her music skills with the little children and, together with Sister Lorraine Quella developed special programs that entertained many people. Gloria then taught one year in Denver and became a student at the Montessori Center in Palo Alto, California. She obtained a master’s degree as a Montessori administrator and director.

In 1990, she was invited to open a Montessori school in the inner city in Denver.  Within a few years, this school became outstanding for its education of children. In 1993, Gloria received an honors award, the “Raising of Colorado Award,” from the people and Governor Roy Romer.

Around this same time, Gloria also received a master’s degree in graphoanalysis (handwriting analysis), which she used as a tool for evaluating the personality and character of children, young adults, homemakers, and professionals in the business world, as well as in the fields of criminology, psychology and teaching. In 2006, she became a certified graphologist through the Insyte Challenge School of Graphology in California.

One of Sister Gloria’s memories of Denver was how she quietly helped some of the youth who were involved in stealing. She could talk with an individual, tell them about alternatives to their way of living and sometimes give them money to buy what they needed. It was always because God loved them and she would say, “God did this.” Many times their lives were changed. Even the police were happy for her help.

In 1986 and 1992, Dr. Claude Lupis, a professor at MIT in Boston, and his wife invited Gloria to Sydney, Australia. On her Australian travels, she met with other educators. In 2003, she returned to Australia to work among the aboriginal people and gave several lectures on handwriting analysis to teachers and social workers to enable them to better understand the personalities of the groups with whom they worked.

From 1996 to 2001, Gloria worked in Nashville, Tennessee, as a teacher and administrative assistant with Project Reflect, our mission with Sister Sandra Smithson. Her time there was greatly appreciated.

Gloria then moved to Our Lady of Good Counsel in Aurora. Here, she had a chance to do the artwork she loved. Walking down the corridor near her room was like walking through an art gallery of portraits. Some of her best-known works were those of Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, and her brother, a policeman.  She also got involved in the school, babysitting for one of the teacher’s children during school time. Helping the sisters with driving also kept her busy.

For four more years Gloria continued her retirement in Des Plaines, Illinois, doing similar ministries before moving to Clement Manor. She could no longer drive and it was difficult for her to lose her independence. However, she continued her art work and taught volunteer classes at Our Lady of the Angels. As her memory loss increased, she moved to Sacred Heart in 2016 and began a new ministry of prayer and presence. She could now rest from all her work and activities. In 2018, Gloria moved to Our Lady of the Angels.

In her own quiet way, Gloria’s giftedness touched many lives. Her albums of artwork contain memories of the many contacts she made in her life.