Gloria Given Conard

Gloria Given Conard, 89, of Troy, Ohio, passed away on Tuesday, September 15, 2020, in Cincinnati, Ohio, following a lengthy illness.  Gloria was born to Ivan and Lilly (Young) Given in Charleston, West Virginia on June 11, 1931.

She graduated from Stonewall Jackson High School and received an associate degree in business from Morris Harvey College (now the University of Charleston).  She then went on to attend Marshall College (now Marshall University) where she received a degree in Education.  She received her Masters Degree in Education from Wright State University. 

She married Robert (Buck) Conard in 1955, and they moved to Troy in 1963.  Gloria taught shorthand and typing in the adult education program, and then went on to teach first grade at Edwards School.  She taught second grade at Cookson Elementary School from 1971 until she retired in 1996.  She was recognized for excellence in teaching as a Martha Holden Jennings Scholar. 

Gloria was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Troy where she taught Sunday School.  She moved to Cincinnati in 2012 to be closer to her daughter.   

Gloria was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Buck, her brother James Given, and her sister Irene (Given) Humphreys.  She is survived by her loving daughter Dr. Lee Ann Conard of Cincinnati, Ohio, her brother Tommy (Sue) Given of Versailles, Kentucky, sisters-in-law, Sherry B. Conard of Troy, Ohio, and Linda (Conard) Ellis, of Lexington, Kentucky, and brothers-in-law, Tom (Judy) Conard of Huntington, West Virginia, and J. B. Humphreys of Elkview, West Virginia.  She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews, including Carrie (Tom) Trotter of Troy, as well as many friends and the students she nurtured and taught over the years. 

Gloria will be remembered as a gentle, kind soul who loved birds and flowers.  She shared her passion for quilting with her mother, sister and daughter, and together they made many beautiful quilts.  She worked as a devoted 12th man for the Marshall Thundering Herd, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and helped the Steelers win their first game of this season the night before she was called home.    

Gloria enjoyed helping Lee Ann with her work, and until quite recently volunteered to help the Division of Adolescent and Transition Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center with “special projects”.

Lee Ann would like to thank family, friends, Hospice of Cincinnati and the amazing staff at Marjorie P. Lee in Cincinnati for their love and support of her and Gloria for the past 8 years.      

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Cincinnati Children’s Division of Adolescent Medicine to continue the work that Gloria did to help Lee Ann and adolescents in Cincinnati area. Donations may be mailed to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Department of Development, P. O. Box 5202, Cincinnati, OH 45201-5202 or online at:  https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/giving/gifts. Please note in memory of Gloria Conard.  

There will be a private service on Saturday, September 19, 2020, at Riverside Cemetery in Troy.