Gloria May Abraham

Gloria May Abraham, age 91, passed away of natural causes in Salt Lake City, Utah on March 23, 2018. Gloria was born on August 14, 1926 in Caldwell, Idaho to William and Agatha Tipton. The family lived in Grand View, Idaho until 1939 and then moved to Boise. Gloria graduated from Boise High School in 1944. It was wartime. Gloria wanted to become a nurse, so she enlisted in the Cadet Nurse Corp. She completed her nurses training at St. Luke's School of Nursing in 1947. In 1951, she joined the United States Air Force. After basic training, she was selected to complete a course at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland to train as a Nurse Anesthetist. She served at various air bases, including Bermuda and Hill Air Force Base. While in Bermuda, she experienced working through a hurricane during surgery with water up to her ankles and the electricity going off. She reported that the patient survived the surgery as well as the hurricane. In 1953, she received orders to go to Korea to serve in the war effort there. However, when the military flight got halfway to Korea, there was an announcement made by the Captain that he had just received news that the war had just ended. He then said, "We are turning the plane around and heading back home." Everyone began to cheer! Gloria was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1955 with the rank of Captain. She returned to Boise and was employed at St. Luke's Hospital when she met and married Clawson Abraham on November 14, 1959. They were sealed in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple one year later. They were blessed with a son, Jeff, and a daughter, Sara. Clawson worked for the Army Corps of Engineers, and his job took them to California, Orofino, Idaho, and Soda Springs, Idaho. Gloria continued her job as a nurse anesthetist in various hospitals throughout Idaho. Clawson retired in 1982 and they moved back to Boise. Gloria continued to work part time in Boise as a nurse at St. Alphonsus Hospital. Her skill as a nurse came in handy as she lovingly cared for her own mother and then for her husband when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease until his death in 2003. Gloria was an active member of the LDS church holding various callings. She and Clawson also served as temple workers in the Boise Idaho Temple. She eventually moved to Salt Lake City where she lived with her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. The last several years of her life were spent in the loving care of Heidi Peay and her staff at Evergreen Care Center. Her family wishes to thank them as well as Hospice for Utah for all their hard work, love, and support.
Gloria was preceded in death by her parents William and Agatha Tipton, her husband Clawson Abraham, her brother Ronald Tipton, and her sister Barbara Woodward. She is survived by her sister Paula (Dave) Despain, Gary (Jan) Tipton, sister-in-law Diane Tipton, brother-in-law Jim Woodward, her son Jeff (Etta) Abraham and Sara (Garth) Dunford, and grandchildren Jacob (Aimee) Dunford, Quinn, Claire, and Tate Dunford, and Kristopher Abraham; great-grandchildren Roux Dunford, Kristopher Abraham Jr., and a lot of nephews and nieces whom she loved very much.
A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, March 28, 2018 at 11:00 AM at the Relyea Funeral Chapel, 318 N. Latah St., Boise, ID 83706. A viewing will be held prior to the service from 10:00 to 10:50 AM. Interment will follow at the Cloverdale Cemetery.