The family of Gloria Diane Zwicker of Toronto is saddened to announce her passing on June 22, 2021 of pancreatic cancer at the age of 77 years.

Gloria was born in Montreal to loving parents David and Edith Appotive on March 12, 1944. The family eventually moved to Ottawa where Gloria was raised, soon followed by siblings Brenda (who died in her infancy) Sharon, Jeff and Dvorah. Gloria had many friends, some of whom she remained in touch with all her life. As a teenager, she spent her spare time socializing, studying, volunteering as a candy striper at the Civic and Jewish General Hospitals, and helping (rather reluctantly she would have admitted) in her father’s luncheonette. She would invite her friends to keep her company. They loved all the treats! Gloria loved the summers, when she and her family would go to a family cottage in the Laurentians in the small town of La Macaza, Quebec, and spend time with her siblings, cousins, grandparents, and aunts and uncles from Montreal.

Gloria attended Carleton University and graduated in 1964 with a B.A., majoring in Latin Studies. It was during this time that she met Daniel Zwicker, a handsome young engineering student originally from Montreal. He saw her playing baseball one day and was immediately smitten. They were married on June 7th, 1964, and went on to have five children, Melanie, Marshall, Candace, Alexandra and Jordan. Throughout their marriage, her husband Dan treated her as his queen and was always supportive. Gloria devoted her life to being a remarkable wife, mother, and grandmother. She loved spending time with her grandchildren, sharing the sights of Toronto and introducing them to the latest fads, and as a result, they all developed a very close personal relationship with her. Through good times and bad, she supported her family, encouraged their passions, and was the solid base upon which they relied.

Once her children were a little older, she volunteered as a counsellor to people with mental health and addiction issues. Then she took a position as an office manager at a medical center and soon became a favourite with the doctors, her colleagues, and patients. She had such an empathetic nature, and always listened to others’ experiences with such sympathy and kindness. Gloria was a people pleaser whose magnetic nature drew people towards her.

Gloria had a great love of beauty that showed in the life she built around her. Her clothes were chosen with great care, her home always looked like something you would see in a magazine, and if you were ever a guest at Gloria’s and Dan’s home, you would be guaranteed a beautifully set table with delicious and abundant food.

Gloria was the foundation of her family – a matriarch whose strong family values were instilled in her children and grandchildren. The hole left by her absence will be impossible to fill.

Gloria is survived by her beloved husband of 57 years Daniel, her children Melanie and Stephen, Marshall and Syma, Candace and Ari, Alexandra and Barak, Jordan and Keri, her grandchildren Justin, Zachary, Jared, Pearson, Brandon, Sahara, Eden and Jett, her siblings and best friends, Sharon, Jeff and Dvorah, and her brother- and sister-in-law, Jack and Liz. She will also be missed by her nieces and nephews, and her many close cousins and friends.

The family would like to extend gratitude to Dr. Janet Morse for her wisdom, patience, and incredible bedside manner while Gloria was in her care, and to Dr. Woolhouse and Svetlana for their kind attention.

A funeral service will be held at Jewish Memorial Gardens, 2692 Bank Street, Ottawa, ON K1T 1K9 on Wednesday June 23, 2021 at 2:00 pm. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the service for Gloria will be restricted to immediate family members only. A live streaming of the service will be available at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81776995335
Meeting ID: 817 7699 5335. Shiva will be online and can be arranged with Keri at kzwicker@vcc.ca