Gloria Julia Sammis (nee Mann) passed peacefully on Feb. 21, 2023, at her son’s residence in Williamstown, N.J. She was 83.
She was born in Greenville, N.Y., and lived the first 20 years of her life in Hamburg.
Once married, she resided for the next 44 years in McAfee.
Her passing has created a void in every community in which she played an important role.
She attended Hamburg public schools and graduated from the Hamburg High School. As a teenager, she wore many different hats by serving many different school clubs.
Graduating in 1957, Gloria continued her education; attending a year-long, intensive course at Katharine Gibbs in Montclair paved the way for her to become a legal secretary.
That was a short career because Linn arrived in 1960. Her role quickly changed from young career woman to young full-time housewife.
As 1972 unfolded, Gloria and a group of several other women decided that Vernon Township needed a Woman’s Club. Community issues needed to be addressed. The needs presented themselves, and the Vernon women provided their time, talents and hard work to fulfill those needs. Fifty-one years later, the club - stronger than ever - continues to address community needs.
In 1978, after fulfilling many executive roles for the Vernon club, Gloria moved to the state level-NJSFWC at the headquarters in New Brunswick. Until 2016, Gloria held 30 different office positions, including chairwoman.
Even though NJSFWC consumed most of her time, she remained faithful and continued to tirelessly work for the Vernon club.
The NJSFWC annual convention was an event that Gloria never missed. However, the 2019 convention was her final one. Parkinson’s disease was advancing; her tired body had difficulty managing the busy, challenging and long hours involved with a typical convention.
Life was full and rewarding for Gloria! She loved to cook, bake, sew, quilt, cross-stitch, travel and party. She even taught kindergarten Sunday School at the Hamburg Baptist Church for 25 years.
During the summer, you would find her and her sister-in-law Dolores at the farm road stand, once located at the Sammis Brother’s Produce Farm in McAfee. Gloria and Dolores, two formidable, humorous and hardworking women, managed that business together for 45 years. The “Corn Ladies,” as many customers used to refer them, shared a gift of gab, salesmanship and good listening skills. Both ladies were like roadside psychologists, listening to every customer’s triumphs and foibles. They were always quick to offer advice or a solution.
Even after, her husband’s sudden passing in 2004, she put one foot in front of the other and continued on with life. She remained active in the Woman’s Club.
Traveling with her son was always a treat. Vegas and Atlantic City were her favorite destinations.
The quarantine of 2020-21 did not work well for Gloria. Being isolated robbed her of using her social skills; skills that she had truly honed throughout life! Parkinson’s disease advanced into the final stages, rendering her speechless. Unable to laugh, unable to eat on her own and unable to completely walk, this fiercely independent woman was now dependent.
Her loving and devoted son, Linn D. Sammis Jr. survives Gloria. She also is survived by her only, prettiest and most loved niece Kathy Colasurdo and her husband, Joe; her nephew, Leo Sammis Jr.; and her great-nieces, Stefanie, Leigh Ann and Gina. Many surviving friends, cousins and extended family will surely miss her.
She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Linn D. Sammis Sr.; her parents, Sherman Francis and Julia Frances (nee Vance) Mann; her dear sister, June Silconas and her husband William “Bill”; her cherished niece Betty Silconas; and in-laws, Leo Sammis Sr. and Dolores Sammis.
She left an indelible impression on an innumerable group of people over a period of 83 years.
A viewing was planned Feb. 25 in Washington Township and a second one Feb. 27, at the Ferguson-Vernon Funeral Home in Vernon.
Her sendoff to the lofty realms of heaven, the highest mountain she will ever have to climb, was Feb. 28. Interment was in the North Hardyston Cemetery.
When she turned 50, she aspired to climb Mount Washington in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. She did it! The climb to the summits of heaven will be her greatest achievement.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the GFWC Vernon Township Woman’s Club, P.O. Box 175, Vernon, NJ 07462 or the New Jersey State Federation of Woman’s Clubs, 55 Labor Center Way, New Brunswick, NJ 08901.