Gloria McRory
Obituaries
Vail Daily page A3 - December 20, 1999
Services for Gloria McRory, Avon's Leading Lady, today
Memorial services for Gloria McRory, Avon's Leading Lady, are set for 1:30 p.m. today at the Beaver Creek Chapel.
In keeping with her wishes, McRory died in her Singletree home Thursday. She 71.
Gloria and her husband, George, came to Eagle County from Connecticut in 1979, when George landed a contract with the Beaver Creek Development Company to help complete the ski resort that would open a year later.
She was not one to waste a second of time, or have to do with those who did. She was president of the Avon Arts Council, a member of the Eagle County Historical Society, a member of the Vail-Eagle Valley and Rotary Club and a founding member of the Food Resource Committee. She was also a member of the Eagle County Republican Central Committee.
It was in the realm of local and regional that McRory found her element.
She was elected to the Avon Town Council and served with what would turn out to be a spirited group, including Frank Doll and Allan Nottingham.
The group pushed through the $7 million Avon railroad underpass, which created Avon's world famous "Bob the Bridge."
"America had founding fathers, and Avon had a founding mother in Gloria McRory," said local business owner Bob Doyle, who also jokingly thanked Gloria for naming the bridge after him.
McRory had hundreds of friends in the area, and was the confidant of several of the area's most prominent and powerful citizens.
"She got involved in anything regarding politics," smiled husband George. But George said it was the Avon Recreation Center which proved to be McRory's masterstroke in political gamesmanship.
"Jerry Davis was the Avon mayor at the time and he was dead set against the recreation center," said George.
Davis, though, went on vacation, leaving Mayor Pro-temp Gloria McRory in charge of the town's business. She immediately set about making it the town's business to build a recreation center.
"She got it on the agenda and got it passed," laughed George.
Gloria was born July 9, 1928. She and George celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last spring.
Besides her husband George, Gloria is survived by son Colin (Cole) McRory, and his wife, Laurie Bower, Cole is a musician who recently performed with Mickey Poage. Also surviving her is son Clay McRory, his wife, Cathy, and their children Clayton Thomas McRory and Jack Courtney McRory of Edwards; sister Marie Boettger of Connecticut ; and nieces in California and Vermont.
She was preceded in death by sons Courtney McRory, who was killed in a dune buggy accident while vacationing in Peru, and Cletus McRory.
Following Courtney's death, the family launched Avon Quick Print, as a means of helping Gloria through the traumatic period. It worked so well that she later partnered with son Clay to form Peregrine Press, on of the area's leading printing and graphics firms.
Contributions can be made in Gloria's honor to Vail Valley Home Health and Mountain Hospice, P.O. Box 4432, Vail, CO 81658, The Cancer Society, or the Town of Avon's children's memorial.
Vail Daily Trail - December 17, 1999
Avon's 'founder mother" Gloria McRory dies peacefully in Singletree
Gloria McRory, a very active member of the community, died peacefully in her sleep of lung cancer Thursday morning at her Singletree home. She was 71.
A memorial service is being planned, but has not yet been set. After being diagnosed in October when a massive tumor was discovered in her lung, it was the family's hope that Gloria could be kept comfortable and that God would take her peacefully.
Gloria went mercifully fast," said her husband George. "So many people have been wonderfully supportive. We live in a nice valley with a lot of nice people. And the hospice volunteers and home health providers were wonderful, so comforting. It was such a help to both Gloria and the family."
Ever since the couple transplanted from Connecticut to Avon two decades ago, Gloria became an amazing advocate for Avon.
"Gloria fell in love with the mountains and the people living here and never wanted to leave, so we stayed," George McRory said.
As a member of the Avon council, she was instrumental in getting the train overpass built that created "Bob the Bridge."
As mayor pro temp while Jerry Davis served as Avon's mayor, Gloria placed Avon Recreation Center on a council meeting agenda while Davis was on vacation, explained George McRory. It passed. "That was Gloria," said George with admiration in his voice.
"America had founding fathers and Avon a founding mother in Gloria McRory," said Bob Doyle, who added that Gloria was a mother to him. "I will miss her dearly, along with everyone else who knew Gloria. And thanks, Gloria for naming a bridge after me," Doyle added.
Gloria was a one-of-a-kind person for Avon, said close friend Judy Yoder, who served on the Avon Arts Council with Gloria.
"If Gloria had not been involved in Avon, we would not have our public art program," Yoder explained. "Most people don't even realize so much of what she did for Avon. She will be so missed."
Within the next couple of weeks, a four-color brochure explaining Avon's history and artwork will be distributed, Yoder said, and that brochure is dedicated to Gloria.
"She'd be very proud of that," Yoder said. Another plan, although not finalized, Yoder said, is a memorial fund dedicated in Gloria's honor to the Children of Avon. It might possibly be a bronze of a child located near the Avon Recreation Center.
"That would be especially fitting in honoring Gloria," Yoder said. Glenn Heelan described Gloria as a wonderful human being. He spent hours talking with her at the print shop, Peregrine Press, which she owned with her son, Clayton.
"I loved Gloria; she reminded me of my own mother and I'll sadly miss her," Heelan said. "She was such a proactive person with a great sense of humor and a warm smile. Gloria was a wonderful human being and was always working for the good of Avon.
"Gloria was not bashful about telling you how she felt about things. Her honesty and candid opinions were so refreshing to me. And Gloria was a great Grandma, who dearly loved her grandchildren" Born July 9, 1928, in Hartford, Connecticut, Gloria married George April 30, 1949. The couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last spring.
In addition to her husband George, Gloria is survived by son Colin (Cole) McRory and his wife Laurie Bower; son Clayton McRory and his wife Cathy and their children Clayton Thomas McRory and Jack Courtney McRory of Edwards; sister Marie Boettger of West Hartford, Conn. and nieces Heidi Lloyd of Mission Viejo, Calif., and Blair Boettger of Waitsfield, Vt.
She was predeceased by sons Courtney McRory, who was killed in Peru, and Cletus McRory.
Memorial contributions may be made in Gloria McRory's memory to a children's memorial at the Town of Avon, to Vail Valley Home Health and Mountain Hospice at Box 4432, Vail, Colo. 81658 or the Cancer Society.
