Gloria Beane Morris passed away on January 3, 2026, at age 83. Predeceased by her parents, Frederick and Ida (Dorschel) Beane. Survived by her husband Michael, daughter Sandy (Derrick Sandford), grandson Dylan Sandford, brother-in-law and sister-in-law Peter and Sally Morris, nephew Rod (Christine), niece Jodi, a flock of cousins, and many dear friends.

Gloria grew up in Syracuse, where she attended St. Lucy’s Academy and made lifelong friends. Gloria was close with her many cousins in Central New York and often visited her dear grandmother and extended family in Bombay, NY.

After earning an elementary education degree at SUNY Oswego in 1964, Gloria returned to Syracuse to teach first grade at Charles Andrews School. Then, in 1967, she and her close friend Jean Timmins headed west to Rochester, where she found a professional and personal home. Gloria spent many happy years teaching first grade at Walt Disney Elementary School, where she became close friends with her mentor, principal Jack Story, and many fellow Gates-Chili educators.

In 1971, Gloria agreed to go on a blind date with her friend Pete’s little brother, Mike, who had recently returned from serving in the Navy in Vietnam. They hit it off, beginning a relationship that would last more than 54 years. Mike and Gloria married in 1972 and daughter Sandy was born two years later.

A devoted educator, Gloria made the loving and selfless decision to pause her career to raise Sandy, instilling a love of reading, card games, musicals, and Syracuse basketball.

After safely delivering Sandy into her awkward teenage phase, Gloria’s teaching career had a second act. She went back to school and earned her Master’s in Library Science at SUNY Buffalo, logging thousands of Thruway miles. Gloria loved being a librarian at Jackson Elementary School in Batavia, where she made many more lifelong friends.

After she and Mike retired, they hit the road, visiting all 50 U.S states. Their most frequent destinations were Chicago to visit Sandy, Derrick, and Dylan, and the southeast, where they dropped in on countless friends and relatives.  Gloria and Mike especially enjoyed traveling to Dublin, Ireland to visit their daughter’s wonderful in-laws, Paddy and Kathleen Sandford and their family.

Gloria was a parishioner at St. Martin de Porres at St. Vincent’s for more than 40 years, a regular visitor to the Newman Riga Library, and a member of the Churchville Lions Club, Senior Citizens of Riga, and the Depression Glass Club of Rochester.  She loved reading (especially with children), collecting glass, Jeopardy!, parties, and keeping in touch with friends and family near and far, who knew to expect a Christmas card the day after Thanksgiving.

Family and friends may call Friday, January 9 from 4-6pm at the James R. Gray Funeral Home, 1530 Buffalo Road, Rochester, NY 14624. Funeral Mass Saturday, January 10 at 10:00am at St. Martin de Porres at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 11 North Main Street, Churchville, NY 14428.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Diabetes Association.