Obituary: Gloria Julia Busse Anderson, 89, West Redding

Information Courtesy Bouton Funeral Home

REDDING, CT — Gloria Julia Busse Anderson, 89, of West Redding, died peacefully on Wednesday, November 24, 2021, at Danbury Hospital from complications following a stroke. She is survived by her husband of nearly 72 years, Arthur “Art” Anderson, and their three daughters: Wanda (Alex) Dupuy of Middletown, CT; Ginger (David) Perkins of Sandy Hook, CT; and Lynda (Rick) Hilton of Scottsdale, AZ.

Gloria was born in the Bronx, NY on July 19, 1932, to the late George Duncan Busse and Elizabeth Feiner Busse. Gloria attended NYC public schools until she moved to Georgetown, CT in 1949 to live with her maternal aunt. Once there, she and Art found one other and began a romantic relationship. After a brief courtship, they married on December 10, 1949, in NYC. In the mid-1950s, the couple bought land and built a house in West Redding, where they raised their daughters and resided for the rest of their married life.

After marrying Art, Gloria spent most of her 30+ working years in manufacturing. Her strong work ethic and intelligence rewarded her with many promotions, taking her off the production floor, up through the ranks, and into positions as a purchasing agent, office manager, and IT manager before her retirement. Electric Regulator Corporation and Airpot Corporation, both located in Norwalk, were her principal employers.

She was fascinated by all types of technology. From wiring and programming her VHS and DVD players and TVs, to using her computer, printers, Cricut cutter, iPhone, and iPad, she was a wiz around any electronic gadget.

Gloria also had a creative spirit. She loved home decorating, cooking and baking, sewing and quilting, photography, crafting, scrapbooking, and making greeting cards. She was also an avid reader, enjoyed music (especially Broadway show tunes), and was a big fan of cooking shows, Hollywood movies, the Hallmark Channel, and Disney.

She loved to travel, anywhere and everywhere, at any time: Europe, Canada, the Caribbean, and much of the US, including Hawaii and Alaska! She often reminisced about eating her first avocado (in Haiti) and having her first sip of white wine and taste of cheese fondue (in Germany). Simply put, she was a gourmet who enjoyed life and always was looking forward to her next adventure.
Gloria loved celebrating the holidays, especially Christmas. By tradition, she and Art hosted Christmas Eve dinner for their daughters and sons-in-law every year. She was especially looking forward to this year’s celebration, after missing last year because of the COVID pandemic. Gloria loved planning the menu and preparing her special dishes, such as lobster bisque, osso buco, fondue, and crème brulée. The house and tree were decorated to the nines, which included an ever-expanding Christmas village, nutcrackers of every size and variety, and Hallmark ornaments galore. Johnny Mathis was always singing carols and holiday songs in the background. The family will especially feel her loss this Christmas, the first without her.

In addition to her immediate family, Gloria is survived by her sister Leona “Terry” (Robert) Prince of Inverness, FL; brother George Duncan (Joyce) Busse, Jr. of Waynesboro, PA; sister Hope (Carson) Naylor Green of Grand Manan Island, NB, Canada; brother Roy Naylor Ferro of Port Saint Lucie, FL; dear friend Constance Burns of Greenville, NC; beloved cats, Max and Abby; and a host of nieces, nephews, other family members, friends, and neighbors. She is predeceased by her brother George Carl Busse; brother Joseph Busse; sister Elizabeth Naylor Naro; and stepmother Ceslava “Jessie” Ramatowski Busse.

Calling hours will be held on Thursday, December 2, 2021, from 5-8 PM at Bouton Funeral Home, 31 West Church Street, Georgetown. A memorial service will take place at the funeral home on Friday, December 3, 2021, at 10:30 AM. Burial at Fairlawn Cemetery in Ridgefield, CT will immediately follow.

The family asks that those attending calling hours and the memorial service wear a face mask while inside the funeral home. At the memorial service, guests will be given an opportunity to speak and share a memory of Gloria with her family.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a charitable donation in Gloria’s memory to the American Stroke Association, Ridgefield Public Library, or CT Public Television.