Gloria Ann Tonetti

With profound sadness, we share that on October 20, 2023 our precious friend Gloria Ann Tonetti has joined the choir of heaven’s angels.  She left this world peacefully in the warm embrace of her partner of fifty years, Gayle and a collection of her devoted family of friends.

Born in Queens, New York City, on June 14, 1939, Gloria attended California University of Pennsylvania and graduated from Waynesburg University.   She began her extraordinary teaching career in Pittsburgh.  At Wittier Elementary School on Mt. Washington, she was a teacher who cherished her students, and they in turn, cherished her.  Gloria’s classroom closet was always filled with special treats, extra lunches, and winter gloves.  During her career, she was named “Teacher of the Year.”

Gloria brought a sparkle of light into every room she entered.  Her kindness, compassion, and unwavering support enriched the lives of all who knew her. Her generosity and sense of humor brought so much joy to this world.  She was an extraordinary woman.

She loved travel, the theatre, and music.  She and Gayle visited many countries, embracing the culture and the people; they always had seats to Broadway musicals, the symphony, and Pittsburgh theaters.  At social gatherings, Gloria was known to “dance her shoes off” or burst into song…in Italian.   Among her many passions, (collecting shoes and the occasional Tito’s and Tonic “in a pretty glass, please,”) was gardening and the forever pulling of weeds.  As a longtime member of the Woodbridge Gardening Committee, she not only enhanced the environment, but brought color and special beauty to everything she planted.

Gloria was preceded in death by her parents, Edmund Tonetti and Helen Pellegrine Tonetti; mother-in-law, Gay Luchin; cousin Donna Lee Stone; and her canine companions, Seiki and Holly.

She is survived by her beloved partner, Gayle Luchin; her cousin Dana Stone of Riverhead NY; colleagues, neighbors, and her many lifelong friends.  A heartfelt thanks to our family of friends who provided a loving home during these most difficult times; our nurses on call who responded at any hour of the day or night; those who shared our vigil, provided food, and helped navigate the unfamiliar terrain; to those who visited  and called and prayed.  We are grateful beyond words.

As sad as we are today, we know in the days ahead we will be comforted by the warmth of our memories and the laughter in the stories we’ll tell. And tell again. On special days, if we close our eyes and be very still, we will see Gloria’s beautiful smile and hear her sweet voice whispering, “Ciao Bella!”