Gloria Anne Walther Caulkins, 89, died March 8, 2017 at Envoy of Winchester.
Gloria was born April 16, 1927 at Georgetown Hospital in Washington, D.C., the daughter of John William Walther and Thelma Morris Walther.
She is survived by her brother, John W. Walther, Jr. and his companion, Sheila Schrier of Rockville, MD and by nieces, Robin Griffin and husband, Randy of Frederick, MD and Karen Senkel and her husband, Rich of Davidsonville, MD and by her nephew, John William Walther, III and his wife Holly. She is also survived by great nieces, Beth Griffin and Samantha and Gracie Walther and by great nephews, Rich and Ian Senkel. In addition, she is survived by her long-time friend, companion and caregiver, Rev. Dr. Sara Hudson.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister in law, Grace Songco Walther.
A Celebration of Life will be March 18, 2017 at Braddock Street United Methodist Church, 115 Wolfe St., Winchester, VA. There will be Visitation 1:00 p.m., at the church, followed by the Celebration of Her Life with Rev. Kirk Nave and Rev. Frank Sherman officiating. A reception will follow the service. The burial will be March 22, 2017 at Parklawn Cemetery, 12800 Veirs Mill Rd, Rockville, MD at 12:00 p.m.
Gloria graduated from Bethesda Chevy Chase High School, Bethesda, MD and Montgomery County Community College. She also attended Davis Elkins College, Elkins, WV.
She was a member of Braddock Street United Methodist Church, Winchester, VA. She was a Stephen Minister and was instrumental in helping to establish a Stephen Ministry program at Braddock Street. She participated in the spiritual journey, The Road to Emmaus, she knitted hundreds of lariats in rainbow colors on which participants on the walk could put their crosses.
She was a member of the Loudoun Business & Professional Women’s Club and held many offices on the local, district, state and national levels. She also served as State President.
She was a business woman for many years, being part owner of Caulkins Jewelry Store in Leesburg, VA and owned two Hallmark Gift Stores, one in Leesburg, VA and one in Sterling Park, VA. She retire from the federal government from the Defense Mapping Agency.
In recent years, when mobility became a problem, she still kept her mind active. She and caregivers knit over 400 hats and scarfs for the Salvation Army, the Nursery at Winchester Medical Center and Hospice. She also enjoyed working on Adult Coloring Books.
She was an avid reader of all kinds of books and has left behind many journals of her writings.
The family requests that donations in her memory be made to Braddock Street United Methodist Church, 115 Wolfe Street, Winchester, VA 22601 or to Appalachia Service Project, 4523 Bristol Hwy, Johnson City, TN 37601.