Gloria Fernandez-Solis Rionda, age 81 years, of Raritan Township, NJ, died peacefully on Sunday, November 19, 2023, surrounded by her husband of sixty years, Jose, and her adored family at Hunterdon Medical Center.
Born in Havana, Cuba, January 26,1942, daughter of the late Faustino and Julia Fernandez-Solis, Gloria was a shining beacon of love, kindness, and compassion throughout her remarkable life and leaves a large and grateful family to share her legacy with the world.
With her childhood spent in Havana, Gloria embodied the vibrant spirit and warmth of her Cuban heritage. With deep roots and a heart filled with love, she nurtured her family and the community around her. As a Kindergarten teacher in Cuba, Gloria’s guidance instilled in her students a belief in their own skills and potential, giving them a firm base to subsequently develop their God-given talents. It would be this sense of empowerment that she would bring to her future family and the community of family and friends she would create in the United States when she emigrated in her early twenties.
Her love story begins when, as teenagers at a mutual friend’s home, she and Jose Rionda spent the party dancing together. Gloria accepted Jose’s invitation to go to the movies the next day and that was the beginning of a lifelong romance. Subsequently, Jose, still a teenager in high school, told his mother that Gloria was, “…la muchacha con la que me voy a casar!” (“… the girl I am going to marry!”). The pair would become high-school sweethearts and join hands in holy matrimony on September 2, 1963, in Surfside, FL.
Together, they embarked on a more than sixty-year journey of love, loyalty, and shared dreams, building a firm foundation for their six children: Gloria Maria, Jose Andres, Marcos Alberto, Maria Teresa, Miguel Ignacio, and Cristina Maria-Julia, each of whom were the lights of their parents’ eyes. To say that Gloria was a devoted mother would be an understatement, as she put her family first in all that she did. She was there for each of them in every aspect of life, with a listening ear, sage advice and lots of love. This same persona would carry through to the next generations, and her heart knew no bounds as she became the cherished Grammie of ten grandchildren.
Family was everything to Gloria. Her greatest joy came from gathering her loved ones around her, especially during holidays. Christmas, her most treasured celebration, was filled with love, laughter, and her exquisite hosting ability. She relished the moments of togetherness, where stories were shared, traditions were honored, and the bonds of family were strengthened. Embracing her Hispanic heritage, her celebrations of food were well known, with her culinary skills pleasing the senses of all who had the privilege of tasting any of her creations; her flan and chocolate mousse were legendary.
A faithful, practicing Catholic and longtime communicant of St. Magdalen de Pazzi Church in Flemington, NJ, Gloria found solace and strength in daily prayers and the recitation of the rosary. Her unwavering devotion and love for others led her to pray, interceding on behalf of those in need. She also had a keen knack of remembering everyone’s Birthday and Saint’s Day, sending them a card with uplifting thoughts to remind them how much they are loved.
Gloria had a “Joie de Vivre”, a true zest for life, finding joy in simple pleasures. Whether watching her favorite Hallmark movies or engaging in spirited gameshows like Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, or The Price Is Right, she embraced every moment with enthusiasm. She also liked and enjoyed traveling, embracing the opportunity to explore new destinations with Jose and her family. Any location with a beautiful beach was sure to top her list of places to visit.
As we mourn the loss of our dear Gloria, we also celebrate her remarkable life. Her selfless love will forever remain in our hearts, guiding us as we walk our own paths. She would want all those reading this to find their own “Agape Love”, which in Christianity is the highest form of love showing empathy and concern for others first, as well as the love God has for each of us and that we, in return, have for God. By loving this way, we are using the gifts God has given us to help us make the world a truly better place. To do this is to honor who Gloria was, is, and will continue to be, through each heart she touched.
In addition to her cherished husband, Jose, she is survived by her children and their spouses, Gloria (Bob) Santangelo; Jose (Nicki) Rionda; Mark Rionda; Maria (Lou) Colella; Miguel (Claudia) Rionda; Cristina (Brian) Davis along with her ten grandchildren, Max, Caitlin, Jordan, Sofia, Rosa, Luke, Annie, Louie, Jack, and Julia; her brother and sister-in-law, Dr. Jose and Earline Solis; her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Juan and Cristina Rionda; niece, nephew, cousins and extended family; as well as many dear friends.
Gloria will lie in repose on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, from 4:00-7:30 p.m. in the Chapel of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ. A vigil service followed by reflections from family and friends will take place at 7:30 p.m. and to which all are welcome. An additional period of gathering will take place on Thursday, November 30, 2023, from 8:45-9:15 a.m. at the funeral home.
A Mass of Christian Burial officiated by Rev. Timothy Christy will take place on Thursday, November 30, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Magdalen Church, 105 Mine Street, Flemington, NJ.
Entombment will follow the mass at Immaculate Conception Mausoleum, 316 Old Allerton Road, Annandale, NJ.
For those who are unable to celebrate Gloria’s life in person with the family, the Vigil and reflections will be live-streamed on Wednesday evening beginning at 7:15 p.m., and the Mass will be live-streamed beginning Thursday at 9:45 a.m. followed by the graveside prayers, with the same links taking you to all the events.
You are encouraged to visit Gloria’s permanent life celebration site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a candle of hope, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of her life.
Memorial contributions can be made to Hope House, c/o St. Magdalen Church, 105 Main Street, Flemington, NJ 08822, or online by clicking HERE.
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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”
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BELOW ARE WORDS WRITTEN LOVINGLY BY HER BROTHER, AND THEN BY HER CHILDREN:
Six words about my sister – Glorita, from Chano
Translated in Cuban: Seis palabras, más o menos (with a strong bias towards más)
In 1947 a picture snaps: I am in my baby crib and Glorita (5 years old) hovers over me with a big white bow. I am sure that is the moment when I became fascinated and intrigued by her.
Beautiful, smart, straight A’s and with a large doses of Mami’s precious advice, “a person must have lots of common sense.”
Glorita’s “quince añera party” required dancing, so she invited home her girlfriends for practice… with me, a convenient but short partner, total martyrdom!
However, dancing, as pointed out in the obituary, yielded a fantastic outcome: “José and Gloria danced all night.”
Then exile separated us, and we wrote letters. When re-united in Miami our world was radically different, our parents stayed in Cuba trying to salvage their life work, until seven years later when they joined us in the USA.
Glorita married José, her love, and went to NJ. I studied and lived in Atlanta. Papi y Mami lived in Miami Beach until their later years when they were lovingly embraced by Glorita, José and family. I am eternally grateful for their sacrifice and love to our parents.
Glorita was a beacon, and to me she also was a safe harbor. I can hear Glorita say when asked about Chano’ travails: Huy, Chano?… Chano is Chano! Que más? Glorita’s “common sense” interpretation of what was happening in my life. Her way of saying it all – lovingly, prudently, and respectfully.
Another famous Glorita’s saying was: “vamos por la marchita,” “going along the way (sendero, vereda).” Despite our different “marchitas,” distances never diminished our love and affection for each other. In our hearts we were united by blood.
Glorita, we will meet where you are because our current distance will not diminish our love and affection for each other, for in Christ’s we are united! Que más?
With all my love,
Chano
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On behalf of my father, Jose, and my siblings Gloria, Jose, Mark, Miguel and Cristina, we thank you for being here with us today. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Maria or number 4 of their 6 kids. We thank Tio Chano for sharing his beautiful stories of Mom with us and I’m honored to share some of our best Mom memories with you.
One of her favorite phrases was “all together, together”. Throughout her life, it’s a fitting way of how she lived. I think she would be happy that we are “all together, together” now, mourning, yet celebrating her beautiful life.
At the center of everything, Mom’s faith was present in all she did. Praying was a big part of her daily life. She was always praying and interceding for all of us in whatever we needed – whether it was in happy times, struggles, medical procedures, illnesses, employment, tests at schools, hope for a spouse – she would say “anything and everything”. We were strengthened by her love and support. She always put others first and was sure to let you know she was thinking of you. Most especially, she enjoyed calling you when it was your birthday, sending you a note, remembering your Saint’s Day and offering prayers on the anniversary of someone’s death.
Mom’s life revolved around her many titles: daughter, sister, cousin, student, teacher, wife, mother, Godmother, Grammie, and friend. She set the bar high in all these roles. She cared so lovingly for her parents throughout her whole life. She was proud of her brother and all his accomplishments. As a student at the Ursaline Academy in Havana, she earned all A’s, yet reminded us that gym was the exception, and, it didn’t count.
As a wife, Mom and Dad complimented each other so well. Dad often says that “marrying Mom was the best decision he ever made” and they were blessed to have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this past September. Together they created a loving home for all of us wherever we were – from New Jersey, to England, to Baton Rouge and Miami. As we grew and created lives of our own, she and Dad were able to travel. She visited (and shopped) in many beautiful countries throughout the world. She was Dad’s “preferred companion” and they both enjoyed meeting new people, tasting new cuisines, and exploring the beauty of the world together.
As the mother of six, she was “the best”. She made each of feel loved, special, capable, strong, unique and able to do anything. She supported and cheered us on throughout every phase of our lives. She managed to have all of us nicely dressed for church on Sundays, but especially for all our annual Christmas cards.
She had a key chain that read “Mom’s Taxi” and chauffeured us to all our events. She loved zipping around in her car and we were always impressed that she learned to drive a stick shift in England, where she had to shift using her left hand.
We all loved our phone calls and texts from Mom where we shared our daily events, and she would tell us what she was up to and what she was looking forward to.
Mom was so thrilled with her role as “Grammie”. She managed to make each grandchild feel cherished. At family gatherings, we often would see her sitting next to a grandchild, deep in conversation about an important part of their young lives. If you were to ask the grandkids what their favorite thing about Grammie is, they would say it was her ability to engage in their interests or experiences with them.
The Grupo Cana, our extended family, had a special role in her life. We fondly remember Sunday afternoons – the kids playing in the basement while the parents were saying rosaries together upstairs. When we were young, Mom, along with the other Moms, would coordinate a Nativity recreation with costumes for all the kids. The Grupo Cana set a beautiful example of love for each other, their families and for God. And, this is something we have strived for in our own marriages.
Mom made everyone feel special with her thoughtful conversations and beautiful, elegant smile. She loved her luncheons and gatherings with all her friends: the Cuban Lunch Group, the Spanish Club, the International Club, the Delbarton Moms, the Bernardsville Young Girls and Young Boys Club, all our amazing Cousins, our wonderful neighbors, and her special friends at Church.
At all her social events, she was always fashionably dressed. As a young woman, she even made clothes for herself and for loved ones – including Halloween costumes for us, and outfits for our special events. She enjoyed looking through Hola magazines to catch up on all the latest fashions.
Her style extended to her home. Even with all of our moves, her home was impeccably decorated and open for guests. She had everything in its place even with all the “comings and goings” of a large family.
She loved creating happy times. We often saw her “cooking up a storm”, whether it was preparing an incredible meal for her family of 8, or 12 when our grandparents were visiting, or even many more for Group Cana, and for parties after graduations and sacraments. Her food, flan and chocolate mousse are legendary.
Holidays at home were magical, especially with Abuelo’s nativity scene in our living room. She created warm family traditions for all her loved ones. A memorable event for us was during our last Christmas with her when she read “Blanquito,” the book she wrote and painted when she was at the teacher college in Havana. We all have a copy of the book and recorded her reading it, and it will be a loving reminder to us of her special talents and gifts.
She didn’t seek the spotlight but delighted in the attention given to her. She especially enjoyed spending time around the table, sharing stories, having fun and laughing together.
When she had time to relax, she enjoyed watching her game shows, her favorite comedies, and, more recently, Hallmark movies. We remember just how much she laughed, and how we enjoyed our time sitting next to her. And, surprisingly, she was also very knowledgeable of Men’s Professional Basketball and enjoyed watching games with Dad.
We’ve been so comforted by all the wonderful memories that you have shared with us this past week. It means so much to us that she was so loved by all of you.
As we celebrate her life, we want to share her faithful death. Being with Mom during her last days, we gained a better understanding of “Thy Will be done” and “now and at the hour of our death.” On the day she passed, my sisters and I had the honor of praying a rosary with her. She was able to pray along with us. It was Sunday and we prayed the Glorious Mysteries. We asked for the fruits of the mysteries: Faith, Hope, Love of God, Grace of a Happy Death, and Trust in Mary’s Intercession. We feel these fruits reflect her incredible spirit and we are comforted knowing that she ended her life as she lived it. Even in death, she showed great faith, hope and love.
May we be “all together, together” with her one day again.
Vaya con Dios, Mom! Spoken with love by Maria Colella
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