Gloria Mary Inserra
1923 – 2020 Millbrae
Gloria Mary Inserra passed away peacefully at the age of 96, after a short illness. She was a San Francisco resident for 32 years, a Millbrae resident for 63 years, and a Cupertino resident for one year.
Gloria was born to Innocente and Teresa Re Bisio in San Francisco in 1923. She is the loving wife of Joseph James Inserra, who preceded her in death in 2004, and the dear sister of the late Alma Beviacqua and Doris Ross. She is the devoted mother of Barbara Hill (Stephen) of Cupertino, Mary Russell (Bruce) of Redding, and Paul Inserra (Michelle) of Richland, Washington. She is the cherished grandmother (“Nonni”) of Daniel Hill, Thomas Hill (Erica), Catherine Thelen (Scott), Jennifer Russell, and Ryan Russell (Suzanne). She is the sweet great-nonni of Tessa and Andrew Hill. She is the loving aunt of several nieces and nephews, and a dear friend to many.
Gloria grew up in San Francisco in a large extended Italian family, graduated from Galileo High School, and attended business college, where she learned shorthand and bookkeeping. She worked as a secretary and bookkeeper in the accounting offices of Walgreen Drugs District Office and Cosgrove Engineering Company in San Francisco, and later at Mervyn’s Department Store credit office in Millbrae.
Her most important vocation was being a wife, mother, grandmother, and homemaker. Gloria and Joe met at a Y.L.I. dance in 1948 and married in San Francisco in 1950. By 1955 they had three children and moved to Millbrae where they raised their family, and they continued to live there into old age.
Gloria was a good cook and baker, enjoyed keeping a clean house, and was an avid proponent of good nutrition and healthy foods. She was a very devoted wife and loving mother, dedicated to raising her children and guiding them through their childhood and into adulthood. As her children left home and began their own marriages and families, she was always ready and willing to help when needed, and she adored her five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
In their retirement years, Gloria and Joe enjoyed traveling with a Millbrae seniors group, church friends, and neighbors. Her lifelong interests included baking, knitting, reading, and walking for exercise, especially from home to the downtown Millbrae stores and library. She continued living in Millbrae after Joe’s death in 2004 and moved to Sunny View Care Center in Cupertino in 2019, where she enjoyed excellent and compassionate care.
Gloria had a devout faith and devotion to God, the Blessed Mother, and St. Jude. She attended St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in San Francisco, St. Dunstan Catholic Church in Millbrae, and later in life the First Presbyterian Church in Burlingame, where she and Joe made many good friends in the New Horizons seniors club. She derived much strength and comfort from her faith, which was always a high priority in her life.
Gloria was kind, generous, and helpful, with a positive outlook and good character. She was full of love, wise advice, and intelligence, and was easy to laugh with and confide in. She was interested in others, sweet, and complimentary. She had a cute personality and sense of humor, but was also a woman of strength and determination. She was a trusted friend and neighbor to many throughout her life.
Gloria will be greatly missed by her family and all those who knew and loved her. She will always be with us in memory, heart, and spirit, and remembered with love and gratitude.
A private service will be held at a later date. If desired, a donation in Gloria’s memory may be made to St. Anthony Foundation Dining Room, 150 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco CA 94102.