Gloria Elsa Victoria Doboy

Gloria Doboy, 94, of Durham, NH passed away peacefully from complications of heart disease on September 26, 2023 at Rochester Manor.  She was surrounded by the loving care of family and the caring staff of the Manor during her final hours. Born on November 23, 1928 in Warren, Ohio to the late Juliana and Gustav Doboy who immigrated from Hungary, she was the youngest of three, with two brothers, Edward and Theodore. 

Gloria graduated from Warren G. Harding High School in Warren Ohio in 1947 and went onto Traphagen Art School in New York City to study fashion. She was a member of the Arts Student League and worked part time as an usher on Broadway, sparking her love of theatre. She went on to earn her associate degree at Fenn College in Cleveland.

Gloria’s first marriage brought her to New Jersey where she lived, worked, and retired. She worked in advertising and was the copy chief at Bamberger’s in Newark (later rebranded as Macy’s)  for over a decade. After leaving work for a few years during her second marriage, Gloria returned as advertising director and copywriter for Levy Brothers and Reichenstein Advertising Agency, while raising her five children as a single parent in Westfield. Gloria went on to work at Trump Castle Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City for a few years after its opening in the mid-1980s. Toward the end of her career, Gloria also did some freelance work as an artist, layout artist and copywriter (plus a few short but enjoyable stints as a toll booth operator on the Garden State Parkway and school paraprofessional).

In her free time from work and parenting, Gloria was an artist and enjoyed watercolor painting. She would do paintings for family members to use as Christmas cards and birth announcements. She also was an avid traveler. She loved the culture of the Asian countries and traveled to Japan and China, as well as all across Europe. In her later years, she even returned to the Hungarian village and home where her mother grew up. More frequently, vacations meant a trip with family to a state park, historic site, or — of course — the beach. Anytime Gloria could be at the Jersey shore, she’d pack up the kids and go. 

That adventurous spirit extended to her hobbies as well. Gloria was never afraid to try new things, from taking a Chinese cooking class to Japanese calligraphy to learning to ski at age 50 so she could hit the mountains with her youngest sons. Gloria was very social, even while raising her five children. She loved hosting a party now and then — including one memorable Luau-themed bash in the ‘60s. In her retired years, she continued to keep busy with travel, concerts, gatherings with her friends in New Jersey, and a visit now and then to the casino (hence the toll booth and paraprofessional jobs).

Gloria also loved to cook and nurtured a green thumb — and she was eager to share the fruits of those skills with others. She would welcome friends dropping in for her famous waffles on a Sunday morning and taught her grandchildren the fine details of making authentic Hungarian chicken paprikash. When family from Ohio visited, it always meant a happy hour on the porch and a barbecue in the yard.

Gloria loved — and was loved deeply by — her children: Philip, Julie, Bobby, Larry, and Doug. Fiercely independent and self-sufficient, she was somehow able to provide for all five kids as a single parent in so many ways. As the daughter of a butcher, she would buy meat in bulk and slice it into food for the week (an impressive feat with four sons in the house). She also inherited her mother’s remarkable sewing abilities and made many of her children’s clothes, as well as slipcovers for furniture. It wasn’t until her early 80s that she stopped mowing her own lawn.

For “Nana,” her five grandchildren also were a bottomless source of joy. She enjoyed years of holiday and summer visits and eventually moved from New Jersey to New Hampshire and was able to spend even more time with them.  Attending their graduations and sporting events (including a Maine high school state championship football game in the bitter cold, on her 91st birthday) were all important to her. So was cooking and going out to eat together, especially to have sushi. But she’d always insist that you take the last tuna roll.

Gloria is predeceased by her parents, brothers, and first born son, Philip.   She is survived by her daughter, Julie DeCosta and partner Gigi Klipa of Deerfield, NH; son Robert DeCosta and wife Vivian of Vero, Florida; son Lawrence Smaracko and wife Diane of Rollinsford, NH;  Douglas Smaracko of Cape Canaveral, Florida; her niece Marie Seavey of Williamsburg, VA and five grandchildren, Annie DeCosta-Klipa, Nikolas DeCosta-Klipa, Marshall Smaracko, Reed Smaracko and Adele Smaracko. 

A Celebration of Life will be held for family and friends on Friday, October 27th at 5 PM at the Deerfield Town Hall at 6 Church Street, Deerfield, NH. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to any of the following:

Dover, NH Senior Center (61 Locust St, Dover, NH 03820) or the NH Food Bank (700 E Industrial Park Dr, Manchester, NH 03109).