Gloria Wade Varela

Gloria was born on August 11, 1931 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She met the love of her life, John M. Varela, in Worcester, Massachusetts. After a short courtship, they were married in St. Paul Cathedral on December 26, 1957. They moved to Queens, New York when John started to work for Guy Carpenter & Company in Manhattan, New York. When her children were young, Gloria was a stay home mom and worked catering jobs on the weekends. As her young children grew older, she started driving a local school bus. She was active in school bus safety programs, earning a safety award from the Three Village School District. She was also known as the bus driver who always decorated her bus for the holidays and even dressed up as a green witch on Halloween. After her children graduated from high school, Gloria moved into a management position in the bus company office. She retired in 1991 and began to devote her time as an auxiliary volunteer at Mather Hospital, Port Jefferson, New York. In 1994 Gloria and John moved to Cornelius, North Carolina. There she continued her hospital volunteer work. She was often called upon to educate colon cancer patients, as Gloria was diagnosed with the disease herself at the age of 58. She took on a leadership role serving as President of the Lake Norman Regional Medical Center Volunteer Auxiliary. She continued her work with the organization for 23 years and was honored in 2018 for her 16,317.5 hours of service. Gloria was an active member of Infant Jesus Roman Catholic Church in Port Jefferson, NY. She served as a catechism instructor and later became a Eucharistic Minister. She continued this calling at St. Mark’s Church in Huntersville, NC. Gloria was predeceased by John who passed away in January of 2022. She is survived by daughters Victoria Marie Shank (Donald Shank) of Iron Station, NC, Theresa Varela Andreucci (Robert Andreucci) of Bluffton, SC, her son, John Peter Varela (Tammy Varela) of Cumming, GA and her grandchildren Danielle Griffin (Justin Griffin), Donald S. Shank (Bethany Shank) and David W. Shank, Nina Andreucci and Amanda Andreucci, as well as 4 great grandsons, Grayson, Bennett, Easton and Hunter. She also survived by her nieces Angela Maria Seijas, Maria Jesus Seijas, Maria Eugenia Varela, Chichy Varela, Ana Maria Varela, her nephew, Jesus Varela and their families. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to either the Colorectal Cancer Alliance or the Dementia Society of America

Gloria Wade Varela

August 11, 1931 - August 20, 2024