Gloria Antoinette Dente

Gloria Antoinette Dente passed away peacefully in her sleep on November 17, at the age of 97. She was a native San Franciscan born to Italian immigrants Maria and Francesco Dalto from the Massa Carrara region of Italy.

Gloria’s family started small. She grew up on Telegraph Hill with her mother Maria and brother Dino. Being under the tutelage of a strong Italian mother would later pave the way for Gloria to become her own talented caregiver and coveted matriarch. With thanks to Maria, Gloria learned how to make the most delicious ravioli, gnocchi and authentic sugo—recipes that would later be passed down to her third and fourth generations, and their friends. She credited her older brother Dino for acting much like a father, always giving her encouragement and self confidence.

Gloria met her beloved husband Primo while working for PG&E. They were married for 69 years, and would spend their lives dancing cheek-to-cheek until Primo passed from COVID in February, 2021. Primo and Gloria’s marriage was so solid, they were recruited to St. Gabriel’s Marriage Preparation Council and worked with countless couples throughout the months leading up to their marriages.

Glo had a sort of magnetism about her. She forged strong relationships and was considered the pied piper of fun, both by her friends and adoring grandchildren. Whether it was a family gathering, a dinner party or creating a scavenger hunt throughout the City for her beloved club, Gloria was the person you wanted to be with. They kept childhood friendships that met monthly for almost seventy years.

Gloria had the raw talent and true grit to do anything she wanted. What she wanted most was to create a family with Primo, and become a mother. Glo was a fierce advocate for her three kids, and participated fully in their lives. She was Mother’s Guild president at St. Gabriels, Boy Scout den mother, and involved in her daughter’s Girl Scouts. She took other leadership positions within the church, including the Italian Catholic

Association. When her children had children, she cared for them after school as diligently and kindly as she did her own.

A true San Franciscan at heart, Gloria loved both the Giants and the Niners. After the children were grown, she got a job at Candlestick Park. There was nothing she loved more than being amongst the throngs of happy sports fans, working side-by-side with her dear friends, “the Maries.”

The only thing Glo liked better than working at Candlestick was traveling to Italy to visit dear relatives from both sides of her family. She was an Italian history buff, and had a passion for learning both the language and culture. If you met Gloria for the first time and she learned you were Italian, she’d ask you what your last name was, what part of the boot you were from, and proceed to tell you everything she knew about the area—but with real interest and affection. She would continue to take and teach Italian language lessons, well into her 80s. Gloria was unique and truly original, and will be dearly missed.

Gloria is survived by her three children. Dan (Maureen), Terry Radov (Ken), and Janice Bishop (David). Her seven grandchildren, Francesca Dente, Gabrielle Magoulas (Eric), Nikki, Cory and Graham Radov, Caitlyn and Megan Bishop, 1 great grandson, Lucca Magoulas, and adoptive great grandson, Zeus.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, November 24, 2021 at 10:30am at Saints Peter and Paul Church, 666 Filbert Street, San Francisco. She will be laid to rest at Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma.