Gloria Ann Przywara (Rubel) passed away peacefully on July 23, 2023, at the age of 80. She was the only child of Francis (Frank) Rubel and Helen Rubel (Leginza). Loving wife of Gerald for 58 years and mother of Jerry (Pat) and Gary (Melissa). Proudest Grandma of Brendan, Kate, and Ethan. She was a woman of strong faith who loved spending time with her family, traveling, cooking, and watching her Detroit Tigers.
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Gloria Ann Przywara (Rubel) was born September 21, 1942, and was the only child of Frank and Helen (Leginza) Rubel. She grew up in Detroit and graduated from Chadsey High School where she met her life-long friend, Mary Ann. After high school, Gloria worked for Detroit Bank & Trust as a teller.

She bowled with her mother at Schaefer Lanes where she met her future husband, Jerry, when one of the women on her team wanted to introduce her to her son. The son brought Jerry with him to the lanes, and Gloria fell for Jerry instead. They were engaged in 1963 and set the wedding date for August 7, 1965. The government tried to interfere by drafting Jerry in January of 1964, but the wedding went as planned, and the newlyweds moved to Fort Benning, Georgia. When Jerry shipped out to Vietnam at the end of 1965, Gloria moved back home with her parents.

When Jerry returned, they settled in Dearborn and started a family, welcoming Jerry in 1967 and Gary in 1969. They loved to travel, taking the boys on road trips across the country on school breaks with the home movies to prove it. From Mount Rushmore to California, Yellowstone to Florida and many places in between, including a ferry ride to Alaska for one day just to say they were there. After the boys were older, Gloria and Jerry loved to take fall color tours to Maine and the Northeast and spend time in Lakeland watching the Tigers' spring training.

Her love of the Tigers stayed with her throughout her life, but Al Kaline was always her favorite. A die-hard fan, Gloria took the boys wherever a Tiger was signing memorabilia to collect autographs and pictures with the players. Mom was a collector at heart---autographs, coins, Beanie Babies, antiques, Precious Moments, seashells, and she had a story behind each one. She also loved making silk flower arrangements and thought seriously about opening a store of her own.

Cooking was a lifelong passion from trying new recipes to making pierogies and mushroom soup from scratch for Christmas Eve Wigilia. She could spend hours in a grocery store looking for any new brand or flavor that looked interesting (much to her husband's frustration). If it was new, she wanted to give it a try.
Faith and family were core to Mom's being. She loved going to church, celebrating with her church family, and sharing her beautiful soprano voice in the choir. When traveling, they visited Catholic shrines, and a local church service was always part of the Sunday itinerary. Even when Covid, and later health issues, kept her from physically going to church, she watched mass every morning and retained a strong connection to her faith through prayer.

She was the keeper of her family history, researching her family tree before the internet made it easier. While it's unlikely her young sons enjoyed travelling around to cemeteries during summer break to find long-lost relatives, she felt an obligation to remember those before her. For many years, she had a monthly dinner with a group of her cousins to keep the family connection going.

It's not a surprise that her favorite TV shows were Mayberry RFD, The Waltons, and Little House on the Prairie. All those shows reflected strong family ties, a simpler time, and family traditions that lived on. Her family was a great joy in her life, and that joy increased exponentially with the arrival of her grandchildren. She loved celebrating every milestone, sharing family traditions, and creating memories.

Visitation will be at Hackett-Metcalf Funeral Home on Thursday July 27, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. until the time of Rosary at 6:00 p.m.; visitation will continue until 8:00 p.m.Instate at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, July 28, 2023, at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church, until the time of Mass at 11:00 a.m. A procession to St. Hedwig Cemetery will follow mass.

Please take a moment to share a memory or a story about Gloria or to leave a condolence for the Przywara's Family on Gloria's Tribute Wall.

Memorial Contributions can be made to:
American Cancer Society
PO Box 6704
Hagerstown, MD 21741
https://www.cancer.org/

Capuchin Province of St. Joseph
1820 Mt. Elliott Street
Detroit, Michigan 48207
https://www.thecapuchins.org/