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Gloria M. Van Duyne
Born: 7/20/1934
Died: 11/20/2022
Age: 88
Community: Flint, MI
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Gloria MacArthur Van Duyne, 1934-2022
Funeral service will be held 11am Saturday, December 3, 2022 at the First Presbyterian Church of Flint, 746 S. Saginaw Street, Flint.
Visitation 3pm-7pm Friday at the Swartz Funeral Home, 1225 West Hill Road, Flint.
Visitation at church 10am Saturday until the time of the service.
Private burial in Sunset Hills Cemetery.
Gloria MacArthur Van Duyne was born in Flint, Michigan on July 20, 1934. Her arrival was unexpected and not without tragedy. After a day of fighting for her life, her mother died from complications related to the birth. Weighing in at 3 pounds, and reportedly three months early, Gloria’s prospects didn’t look promising. With no modern neonatal care available, the doctor told her distraught father to take her home where she probably wouldn’t survive.
Of course, those of us who knew and loved Gloria are not surprised that she not only survived this difficult start to her life, but built a legacy of family and love over her 88 years that will live long past her time with us. She had an inner strength and willpower that served her well from the very beginning, and made possible her many accomplishments in life.
Left without a mother, Gloria was blessed by two women who came into her life to love and care for her - her dear Aunt May and eventually her father’s new wife, Dorothy Duncan, who became Gloria’s beloved adopted mother. Known in her early years by the affectionate nickname, Skip, Gloria was an energetic, vivacious girl who loved sports of all kinds, including water skiing, the broad jump, badminton, basketball, and field hockey. For high school, she attended Kingswood School for Girls and graduated from Connecticut College for Women in 1956, majoring in Chemistry.
One sunny Saturday, while visiting Cornell Medical School with her roommate, her life took another dramatic turn when she was set up on a blind date with a young man, Frederick William Van Duyne III, known by his friends as Erick. According to family legend, she called her father immediately after to tell him she met the man she was going to marry, and he disapproved of such rash judgment. But it turns out she was correct, and Gloria and Erick were married at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Flint, on September 6, 1956. They recently celebrated 66 years of love and marriage.
Their early years of marriage produced two children in relatively rapid succession as they moved from New York City to Denver and on to Tulare, CA for Erick’s internship and residency. In 1961, they found their way back to Flint and decided it was the place they wanted to raise their family. Erick opened up a family practice and four more girls rounded out their family of six. Along with a home full of children there was always a menagerie of cats, dogs, birds, and horses to add to the liveliness of the house.
In the early 1970s, Gloria opened a stationery and invitation business out of the basement of their family home. Before long she opened a small shop in Grand Blanc, called Gloria’s Stationery and Gifts. Over the next 40 years, she grew her business to three locations throughout the Flint area, offering clothing, gifts and jewelry. Eventually she consolidated into one large store on Miller Road and finally at Genesee Valley Mall. Gloria’s was known for their cheerful service, personalized attention, and fashionable offerings. She greatly enjoyed her twice yearly buying trips to New York City with her partner and dear friend, Donna Sivosky. They loved finding the newest styles and gifts to bring back to their loyal customers in Flint.
Gloria was deeply devoted to Flint and was its cheerleader wherever she went. She believed strongly in fulfilling her civic duty and giving back to her community. As an active member of the Junior League of Flint, she was a founding leader and chair of Leadership Flint, which still exists today as Leadership Genesee. She served for many years on the board of the Whaley Children’s Center, the Flint Institute of Music, and the Flint Cultural Center Corporation. She was a tireless fundraiser for the many organizations she supported. Erick and Gloria were lifelong supporters of the Flint Symphony, enjoyed sponsoring guest artists and attended many seasons of beautiful music at Whiting Auditorium. As faithful members, they raised their six children at St Paul’s Episcopal Church, where she served on the Vestry for many years. In their later life, they moved their church membership across the street to First Presbyterian Church of Flint to be with family members.
While Flint was always home, Gloria and Erick spent many happy summer and winter days in Charlevoix, Michigan surrounded by their children and grandchildren. Over more than two decades, as new grandchildren continued to arrive on the scene, “Gigi” and “Papa” welcomed and cherished each one. Nothing delighted them more than seeing the cousins playing together on the beach and forming lifelong bonds of love and family.
Gloria was the matriarch of the Van Duyne family and she has been well loved by her six children, six daughter-and-son-in-laws, 26 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren. She is survived by her children Kim and Dick Skaff, Alexander Van Duyne, Ann Marie Van Duyne, Jennifer and Bob Bieri, Bethany and David Steinberg, Cynthia and Rob VanRenterghem, and Abigail and Bill Vanderbilt. She is also survived by her loving husband, Erick Van Duyne. Her legacy will live on for generations - in her words, “all from a blind date.”
Gloria is preceded in death by her father, Ivan Alexander MacArthur, her biological mother Florence Thompson MacArthur, her adopted mother, Dorothy Duncan MacArthur and her sister, Elaine MacArthur Hagerman.
She died on November 20, 2022.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First Presbyterian Church of Flint, or Flint Institute of Music.
Your condolences may be shared with the family at swartzfuneralhomeinc.com
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| Visitation |
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12/2/2022 |
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Visitation 3pm-7pm Friday, December 2,2022 at the Swartz Funeral Home, 1225 West Hill Road, Flint.
Visitation at church 10am Saturday until the time of the service. |
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| Funeral Service |
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12/3/2022 |
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11:00 AM |
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First Presbyterian Church
746 South Saginaw Street
Flint, MI 48507Get a Map to this location...
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