With great sadness, we announce the passing of Gloria Alicia Meili Ramos, who left us peacefully on November 8, 2023, after a valiant battle with dementia. Gloria was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, educator, and cherished member of the community.

Gloria was born on October 17, 1939, in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico. Her parents immigrated to El Paso, Texas, where she completed high school at El Paso High and attended the University of Texas, El Paso, which was then called Texas Western University. It was there that she met Ruben and the two began dating.

After marrying Ruben in 1969, she joined him in California where she dedicated her life to education, teaching countless students over her illustrious career, imparting wisdom and nurturing growth. She had a passion for bilingual special education and taught that for the better part of her 34 year career, spending most of those years in the San Jose Unified School District. Gloria was about educating the whole family and was always concerned about not only her students but their families as well. You could often see her making home visits and taking them food, clothes, or whatever else they needed, especially during the holidays. There was nothing she wouldn't do to make her students feel safe at home and at school. Her passion for teaching was only surpassed by her love for her family. Gloria brought the warmth of her heritage to every facet of her life.

After receiving a life changing liver transplant in 2000, she retired from teaching and discovered her love of travel. She went all over the world, including Panama, Costa Rica, the U.K., Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Italy, Finland, Spain, Croatia, Jamaica, Haiti, Antigua, the Dominican Republic, and all throughout Mexico.  She especially loved to spend summer vacations in Cancun with her family.  She was a fabulous cook and an amazing bargain shopper. She loved music, dancing and was a devout Catholic. Going to the Vatican to see the Pope twice in her life was a highlight she often spoke of.

Gloria is survived by her devoted husband of 55 years, Ruben Ramos, and her loving daughters, Dr. Veronica Ramos and Leticia Ramos Madeiros (Todd) and grandchildren Nicolas and Noah Madeiros. Her presence was a beacon of joy and strength for her family, and she instilled in her daughters the values of faith, education, kindness, and perseverance that she upheld in her own life.

On Friday, November 17 a rosary will be prayed at 10:00 a.m. followed by a funeral mass at 10:30 a.m. at St. Simon Catholic Parish, Los Altos. The Ramos family welcomes all who knew Gloria to join them in honoring her memory. She will be interred in a private service for immediate family at Gate of Heaven cemetery in Cupertino.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to UCSF or the Alzheimer's Association .

The family would like to thank her amazing caregivers at the Sereno House for all their care in the last 6 months of her life, along with the team at Kaiser Permanente. The doctors, nurses, and palliative team were extraordinary.

May Gloria rest in eternal peace, and may her legacy continue to inspire those who had the fortune to know her.