Gloria Tresp

Gloria Anne Tresp died peacefully on February 17, 2018, at the age of 84 at Porter Hospice Residence Denver with her three devoted daughters Cheri, Kim, and Debbie by her side comforting her, holding her hands. Mom was born August 9, 1933 to Edwin and Sophie Gerlach in Cheektowaga, New York, a suburb of Buffalo. She graduated from Pine Hill High School in 1951 and in 1953 she married Howard Tresp Jr. They would go on to have 5 children: Gregory Paul, Gary Matthew, Cheri Marie, Kimberly Anne, and Debra Mae; they were divorced in 1982. Our family lived in the Buffalo area until 1967 when we packed up and moved to Florida, eventually settling in Daytona Beach. Mom loved going to the beach, Disney World, and countless other Florida attractions. She enjoyed life in the easy pace of a smaller town vacation destination. She held a variety of jobs while in Florida: co-owner of a cocktail lounge with Dad, bookkeeper at the Kirby Vacuum Cleaner Company, and then 19 years in banking until her retirement in 1998. Mom loved to travel, picking up tons of brochures of the different places we went. Money might have been tight at times when we were growing up but she made sure we got to go on fun car trips every year. Some of her favorite places to go were the Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg Tennessee, Seattle, Beaver Creek Colorado, and everywhere in between. She and Kim took a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe in 1989, it was one of the highlights of her traveling days. Mom loved celebrating and decorating for holidays. She was totally bananas about Christmas and passed that love of the holiday season onto us. Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas were our favorites to spend together. In 2000, she and Kim moved to Denver to be closer to Cheri. Mom loved the mountains and had visited Denver several times over the years so it was a natural fit. All three had a lot of fun living close together, going to sporting events, shows, plays, movies, lunches, dinners, and going on vacation. In 2008, Cheri brought home the most adorable long-haired dachshund puppy. She named him Bear, and he became another love of Mom’s life. Two very sweet cats, Linus and Lucy, brought home from the Aurora Animal Shelter, rounded out our family. When we were all together, the four of us plus three furry friends made for a lively and full house! Our mother was kind, giving, nurturing, and supportive. She had a great sense of humor and laughed a lot. She was completely devoted to her children. She was selfless, putting her children first and that was unchanged through to her last days. She needed to be reassured that her daughters would be okay before she left this life. To comfort her and give her the permission she needed to let go, we told her “Go on your trip Mom, we’ve got your suitcase packed. You’re going to the Smoky Mountains, to the beach, to Beaver Creek, to Seattle. The plane is waiting, Mom, start your journey.” We learned from the wonderful Porter Hospice caregivers that hearing is one of the last senses to leave us. So, as we talked to Mom, we know that she heard us. Mom leaves behind her three daughters Cheri, Kim, and Debbie, who will miss her beyond belief. Our brother Gary died at 9 months in 1956, and our brother Gregg died in 1983 at age 29. Both losses were devastating to Mom, but she never wavered in her care of and devotion to her three remaining children. She is also predeceased by her parents Edwin and Sophie Gerlach (our Grandma and Grandpa), and her in-laws Howard Tresp Sr. and Ella Mae Tresp (our Nanny and Grampy). A private service will take place in the spring. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to https://www.rmahf.org/porter-hospice-foundation.html. Designate funds to go to “Porter Hospice Residence”. Mom, our “four-legged stool” is now three. But here in spirit, you will remain that fourth leg, holding us up. We love you always. Cheri, Kim, Debbie, Bear, Linus, and Lucy