Gloria Marie Tamplin's Obituary
Gloria M. Tamplin passed away peacefully on April 23, 2019 after a brief illness. She was born on May 25, 1925 in New York, NY and raised on Long Island, NY. Following her high school graduation, and after a failed attempt to run away with the circus, she gained employment with the United States Army as a civilian cryptographic operator. She was stationed in Hawaii during WWII where she was trusted to set the codes each day. After WWII, Gloria moved to Korea where she continued her work as a cryptographic operator. While there, she met, fell in love, and had a whirlwind romance with a handsome Texas boy, Major Jack D. Tamplin, who preceded her in death on October 23, 2017. They quickly married and remained madly in love for 70 happy, exciting years. She said the secret to a long happy marriage is to “have a sense of humor!” Together they raised two beautiful daughters; Kathleen Groh of Dallas TX who preceded her in death on October 23, 2007 and Jeannie Bakalyar of Salem, Oregon. They were a proud Army family, living all over the U.S. and Taiwan.Gloria was an adventurer who lived life to the fullest. She was a light aircraft pilot and a member of the Civil Air Patrol. She was a tireless volunteer and was elected President of the Flagstaff , AZ Community Hospital Auxiliary after volunteering there for one year. She and Jack became friendly with the Navajo Code Whisperers and Gloria volunteered at the school for the Navajo children.Upon Jack’s retirement from the Army, the Tamplin’s moved to the Texas Gulf Coast and were long-time residents of Corpus Christi, TX. Gloria continued to volunteer at the local hospital, the local college, the local community theatre, and various women’s groups. She became an actress in the local community theatre and learned to play piano in her 60s. She hosted countless parties throughout the year, and saved summers for her grandchildren. Her grandchildren have fond memories of summers at the beach with their “Mimi.” She taught them to water ski, create ceramics in her kiln, knit, crochet, and hunt for shells on the beach to create spectacular art. She also took them to plays, museums, amusement parks, and camping.In her mid-70s, she and Jack moved to the Dallas area to be closer to her grandchildren and growing number of great grandchildren. She continued to volunteer during her later years at Richland College, where she helped foreign students acclimate to school in the U. S.Among her many talents, Gloria was an insatiable reader, reading up to 4 books at a time. She read newspapers every morning and was always ready for an intelligent conversation and civil debate.She is survived by her daughter Jeannie Bakalyar, grandchildren; Angela, Logan, Jocelyn, Nolan, Aron and Jacob, and 13 great grandchildren. Graveside service will be held at Restland Memorial Park Monday April 29, 2019 at 10:00 am with a reception for family and friends immediately following at the Restland Event Center. 13005 Greenville Avenue, Dallas TX 75243.In lieu of flowers, buy a newspaper, read it and recycle it, just as Gloria did.Graveside Service will be held Monday, April 29, 2019 at 10:00 AM at Restland Funeral Home which is located at 13005 Greenville Ave., Dallas, Texas 75243. Also a reception to follow after the services.Funeral arrangements for Ms. Gloria Marie Tamplin have been faithfully entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Cemetery, which is located at 13005 Greenville Ave., at the intersection of Restland Road, Dallas, Texas 75243, and can be reached at (972) 238-7111.
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