Gloria Esterlyne Foster Kirven, an inspirational teacher, devoted wife, mother and loving grandmother, passed away peacefully in Los Angeles, California at age 87, on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Born in Longview, Texas, Gloria was the only child of Lillie Jamison Jones, veteran Dallas school teacher, and Homer Calvin Foster of Dallas, one of a handful of Black real estate agents. Her parents cherished Gloria. Lillie took her everywhere: Portland, Oregon, Chicago and New York. Homer made certain that Gloria had everything she needed including a car while she was still in high school.
Graduating at age 16 from Booker T. Washington High School, Gloria began college at Spellman but graduated Cum Laude from Texas College. There, she won academic awards, was Dean of Pledges for the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, President of the English club and chosen Omega Psi Phi Sweetheart. After graduate work at Columbia University, she taught grades 1 through 12 in a one room school house in Cushing, Texas. She joked that some of her students were bigger and older than she was. Gloria was also one of ten Debutantes presented at the 32nd Idlewild Debutante Ball.
Gloria married her high school sweetheart, Joe Kirven. She set her cap for him when she was 11. They were the apple of each other’s eye and remained married for 63 years until Joe’s death. Young Gloria sold her car to start the family business, ABCO Corporation. Gloria handled the payroll and accounting for ABCO and also worked for her father at H.C. Foster Real Estate. In ABCO’s early days, she spent hours with Joe as he checked on his clients’ buildings late at night. As a longtime member of St. John Missionary Baptist Church, Gloria sang, played the organ for the choir and taught Sunday School classes.
Eventually, Josette, Gloria and Joe’s daughter, was born. When Josette began attending the Hockaday School in Dallas, Gloria and Joe became the first Black parents and later the first Black members of the Board of Trustees. Hosting and accompanying Joe to numerous national and state political events, Gloria met many political luminaries including President Nixon and both Presidents Bush. Her natural poise and reflexive kindness made her popular, not only with Joe’s associates, but also with Hockaday faculty, parents and everyone one she met.
Gloria believed that no one could dream bigger for a child than that child’s parents, and Gloria had big dreams for Josette. When teachers at Hockaday did not push Josette to finish an assignment, erroneously believing that she was “doing her best,” Gloria made it clear that her daughter could meet the highest expectations. Gloria supported every school activity and was vigilant about Josette’s education. She was the first parent chaperone ever to accompany a class trip to Washington, D.C. when Josette was in the third grade. Gloria also travelled with her 8-year-old daughter, and other violin students, to Japan to participate in Shinichi Suzuki’s international workshop led by Suzuki himself. Upon her return, Gloria treated Primary School Hockadaisies to a presentation about Japan.
Gloria eventually taught English for DISD elementary schools and taught piano and organ privately. Her music students won numerous piano competitions. Not content to stay at home, she enjoyed having some financial independence. Over the years, Gloria sold clothes in boutiques and skincare products for two major companies. Gloria joined the Links organization and served on the Boards of Dallas Planned Parenthood, and Young Audiences.
Later, Gloria continued her graduate studies at North Texas University earning a Master’s Degree in English and American Literature. After graduation, Gloria worked for Brookhaven College (Now Dallas College) as an instructor. Gloria was more than just an academic. She was a poet and a talented craftswoman. She filled hundreds of notebooks with her essays, poems and prayers and created decoupage, hand painted items and crocheted afghans, which she sold at her little shop in Preston Royal when Josette was in Lower school. Gloria stayed busy.
Gloria became even busier planning Josette’s wedding to Greg. Gloria made sure that each affair, as well as the main event, was beautiful and fun. Josette and Greg’s friends, his family, and the majority of the wedding party, hailed from the West and East Coasts. Gloria planned a large “Welcome to Texas” barbeque at the Kirven home complete with a country western band in the backyard. Gloria had two goals: To get Josette and Greg married and to make sure that all of the guests at every event felt welcomed and had a great time. She met both goals.
Once her grandsons, Gregory and Michael, were born Gloria wore the title “Grandma” with pride. She visited them often in Los Angeles. She filled her home with photos of “her boys”. Grandma played their games when she was with them, donning a plastic helmet and conducting make believe Jedi skirmishes with toy light sabers. They exuberantly splashed each other in her Dallas pool. Whether in Los Angeles or Dallas, the rooms echoed Grandma’s and the boys’ exuberant whoops. When she wasn’t in Los Angeles, she was writing the boys letters, talking to them on the phone and planning the next visit whether it would be in Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago or Cabo San Lucas. Gloria remained interested and involved in all their pursuits, watching videos of their jazz and rock performances, their football games, taking electric guitar lessons so that she could “jam” with them, even reading Gregory’s final draft of his senior Chemistry thesis which was only comprehensible to the Harvard Chemistry department.
Gloria’s progeny are examples of what having great expectations can achieve. Josette graduated from Harvard University with a degree in English and earned a Juris Doctorate from U.C. Berkeley. Gloria’s eldest grandson, Gregory IV graduated from Harvard Cum Laude in Chemistry and now works for a pharmaceutical company in Cambridge, and her youngest grandson, Michael is earning honors as a Junior at Willamette University and a defensive end for their Bearcats Football team.
Before the pandemic began, Gloria worked with Joe in the Dallas Wiley Club to create and fully fund the Joe Kirven Scholarship Fund. She even organized the first Dallas Wiley Club fundraiser. When Joe and Gloria required greater medical care, they moved into an assisted living residence. During the quarantine, she crocheted dozens of warm berets. She crocheted Joe a special blue beret that he wore every day. When the state wide freeze hit Dallas, their residence lost power and heat. Gloria came to the rescue of her fellow residents. She gave all of those warm hats to her floor mates. The staff hailed her as a heroine.
Gloria never left Joe’s side in his last days and was holding his hand when he passed. Days later, she was rushed to the hospital where the doctors diagnosed her with “Broken Heart” Syndrome. She recovered in time for his funeral but she never stopped grieving for the boy she fell in love with when she was 11 years old.
Gloria then moved temporarily to Los Angeles to be closer to her daughter and grandsons. She enjoyed hanging out with her daughter daily and seeing her grandsons more often. She smiled and laughed and made new Los Angeles friends. Her warmth and natural empathy continued to attract kindness.
Gloria is survived by her daughter, Josette, son in law Gregory Valtierra III, her grandsons, Gregory Valtierra IV and Michael Valtierra, cherished relatives, and numerous friends old and new. The embodiment of tenderness and love, she will be missed by all that knew her. Mama, you will live in our hearts forever. We love you.
