The Rev. Gloria Goldsmith's Obituary
The Rev. Gloria Goldsmith, 96, of Clearwater died with her family at her side on April 2, 2024. She was born November 26, 1927 in New York City to Albert and Freda (Petersen) Omdal. She was a devout Christian her entire life, which formed a clear vision of justice. As a teenager, she visited cousins in segregated Virginia, loudly complaining that separate water fountains and seating for African Americans was “dumb” and not fair, over the loud rebukes of locals telling her “Yankee go home”. Throughout her life she fought for equality, especially for women in the church. In 1950 she married Harry, a WW II wounded veteran who was miraculously healed when Agnes Sanford, an Episcopal volunteer at an Army hospital, prayed for him. Together they spoke at conferences throughout the U.S. on prayer and healing from the 1950s until the early 2000s. In 1981 she was in the group of the first three women, ordained as a Deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida, which at that time did not ordain women as priests. She pushed the Diocese to ordain women as priests and obtained a seminary degree from the University of the South. When the Diocese started to ordain women as priests and she returned to the Diocese, she was considered too old for ordination. She worked for several years at Metropolitan Ministries in the Family Care Center working with homeless families helping them get jobs, education and housing. She was always positive and brought insight, wisdom, experience and humor to difficult situations. Her deep faith guided her and encouraged those around her. She assisted as a Deacon in many churches, including at St. John’s Tampa and at Church of the Resurrection. She was a master storyteller when preaching and spent much of her ministry doing what she enjoyed the most – visiting shut-ins, with Harry, to bring them communion, which she did until a traumatic fall at age 83. In retirement she lived on the beach, painting beautiful landscapes. She is predeceased by her husband, Harry, son Richard, son Harry Joseph, her brother Frank, and her parents. She is survived by her children David, Brian, John (Alyce), and Debra Schrils (Fred), eleven grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren. A funeral to celebrate her life will be held at Episcopal Church of the Ascension, Clearwater, on Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to the Hope Villages Food Bank in her memory at https://hopevillagesofamerica.org/donate/
The family wants to give special thanks for Gloria's primary aide, Helen Kusmierski. She was tireless in her care for Gloria . She not only gave comfort and care to Gloria, but she put our minds at ease. We knew that Helen would do what was best for Gloria in every circumstance. We love Helen and do not know what we would have done without her!
What’s your fondest memory of Gloria?
What’s a lesson you learned from Gloria?
Share a story where Gloria's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Gloria you’ll never forget.
How did Gloria make you smile?