Obituary of Gloria Splendorio

Gloria walked into the gates of Heaven on January 4, 2017. She was born in Brooklyn, NY on September 29, 1936 to the late Joseph and Rose Governale. In 1957 she married Vito Splendorio and they lived on Long Island in Beth Page, NY. After several years they moved to Hollywood, Florida to raise their family. Gloria found great joy in family life and home, decorating in a country style. Sunday dinners at "Mimi's" was a tradition, followed by a lively game or two of baseball in the backyard. She loved baseball, especially the Brooklyn Dodgers, then later the New York Mets. She also enjoyed board games like Scrabble, Yahtzee and Rummikub. She was a big fan of bluegrass and country music, George Jones was her favorite. For many years she made ceramics and would give them away as gifts to family and friends. One of her favorite pastimes was watching old black and white episodes of Andy Griffith and The Honeymooners. She was one of the first to use a VCR to record her favorite shows like Murder She Wrote, Columbo and Little House on the Prairie. She had an extensive collection. Gloria especially loved Victorian England at the time of Charles Dickens, where many traditions we celebrate today took place. She set up her Dept. 56 Dickens Village every Christmas, and then would pack them away after the holidays. The miniature buildings soon claimed a permanent place in her home year round. In 2005 Hurricane Wilma hit south Florida and that was the final straw. Gloria decided it was time to move back north, but only half way, to North Carolina. In 2007 she moved to Statesville, a rural community north of Charlotte, and lived in the same neighborhood as her sons Vito and David. She was an active member of Fallstown Baptist Church where she had many good friends. Gloria was a devoted mother, grandmother and friend who will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her. She is survived by her son, Vito Jr from Statesville, NC; her son, David, and his wife Debara from Statesville, NC; her daughter, Renee DiFede, and her husband Anthony from Southwest Ranches, FL; her son, Andrew from Tennessee; seven grandchildren; Shannon, Jillian, Tony, Juliana, Jenny, Kira and Jarret. She is also survived by her brother, Joseph Governale; her sister, Linda Castiglione and husband Dan; her brother-in law Ray Austin and many nieces and nephews. Besides her parents, Gloria was preceded in death by her sister Arlene Austin. She was also preceded in death by her beloved Chihuahuas, Muffy, Pepe and Dixie. In lieu of flowers, the Splendorio Family gratefully requests that memorials be made to Gordon's Hospice House, 2341 Simonton Rd, Statesville, NC 28625. The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and staff of Gordon's Hospice House for their loving care. The family would also like to thank all for the overwhelming outpouring of thoughts and prayers by family and friends.