Gloria R. Wallace

Gloria Rea Wallace (née Coleman), our sweet and cherished mother, nana, sister, cousin, daughter, aunt, and friend, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 25, 1948, to Leon Coleman Sr. and Lubell Coleman. She was their Christmas baby. She attended Cincinnati Public Schools, graduating from Courter Technical High School in 1966. She played in the band, was a talented athlete, and excelled academically. After graduating from high school, she worked for the IRS, accepting a position later at OPW-Dover, where she held various administrative roles, including Accounts Payable Administrator, for 39 years.

She was born into the Beulah Missionary Baptist Church in the West End, where she grew up, and was baptized at a young age, participating in Sunday School and BTU (Baptist Training Union) in addition to morning and afternoon services. She served in the Nurses’ Guild and the Willing Workers. She started Beulah’s Prison Ministry. The Prison Ministry team served people in their worst moments - afraid, despondent, hopeless -  from teens to older adults, in Cincinnati’s local jails, giving God’s love without judgment, honoring their humanity. As part of a city-wide interfaith Prison Ministry coalition, Beulah’s Prison Ministry baked, collected, and packaged tens of thousands of cookies at Christmas for those incarcerated. She also regularly visited church and family members who were “sick and shut in”. In both instances, she brought them not just the Word of God and a song, but also companionship. Serving those in most need was a purpose and a passion for her. If the church had anything at all happening, she was there: Vacation Bible School, InReach/OutReach, softball league, Women’s Ministry and so much more. She was a willing and happy servant of the Lord. Additionally, she was the church secretary for many years.

She loved the church, but she loved the Lord more. She was a woman of strong, actionable faith, believing in the power of the Word of God and prayer. She had scripture ready for any situation, turning to  her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, not just in times of challenge but also in moments of JOY.

Gloria was a trailblazer. She moved to Mt. Healthy in the 1970s, raising her family in Skyline Acres. She was known for her keen intellect, creativity, wit, and ability to problem-solve, but appreciated for her kind and generous spirit. People were drawn to her like a butterfly to a flower, always finding sweet nectar in her wisdom and compassion. She was the go-to person for whatever you needed, and she always responded with a smile and encouragement. Gloria “saw” you and was fascinated to hear your story. She was a connector, a bridge builder, and a waymaker. In her extended family, the Davis Braxton Family, she was the historian, working tirelessly to promote family unity. She continuously sought to learn more about the family’s past through her genealogical research, while adroitly preserving their present by producing a family book that introduced babies, announced weddings and new businesses, and congratulated educational, professional, and personal accomplishments and milestones.

Gloria loved to travel, witnessing the wonder and awe of God’s handiwork everywhere she went. She looked forward to cruises with church members, family reunions and vacations, and trips ‘just because’. In her lifetime, she was able to bear witness to so much of God’s creations: from the massive rocks of the Grand Canyon, to Hawaii’s Black Sand Beach, to the hillside caves in Granada, Spain,  to the grand architecture of Morocco, to the incredible sculpture of David in Florence, Italy. She climbed the Tower of Pisa, swam with stingrays in the Caribbean waters, peered into the summit craters of a volcano in Hawaii, and landed and walked on Ruth’s Glacier in Alaska, where she saw the most amazing shade of blue produced by the absorption and scattering of the sun’s rays through the glacial ice. Every destination was an opportunity to affirm her faith, proclaim God’s being as extraordinary, and know that God is good. Her escapades are too numerous to count. She stayed ready for her next adventure.

Family was Gloria’s pride and joy. She protected them with the ferocity of a lioness and loved each with the gentleness of a lamb. She was exceptionally close to her children, grandchildren, brothers, and “her girls” (special cousins). She was called mom not just by the children she birthed, but also by the many nieces, nephews, and bonus children she welcomed into her home. Raising and supporting them like her own because, in her heart,  they were. She was a friend as well as a confidant, recognizing the uniqueness of each person and thriving on the anticipation of their “next”.  Her delight was in feeling their happiness, knowing that they were well, and walking alongside as they journeyed through life. She loved sitting on her porch in the morning, family get-togethers just because, and friends and family who happened by for conversation, her warm embrace, and vibrant energy.

On January 10, 2026, Gloria joined in Heaven’s Glory her true love, her husband, Michael A. Wallace, parents, Leon and Lubell Coleman, brothers, Horace Barnes and Leon Coleman, sisters, Cathier B. Taylor, Oceola Adams, Magnolia Taylor, and Rutine Kelly, sister-in-law, Janie Coleman, and grandson, James Merriweather. 

Celebrating Gloria’s legacy, on this side of Heaven, are her son, Jesse Merriweather III (Lauren), daughters: Lisa Merriweather, Stefhanie Ford (William), and Rochelle Casey (I’Shaun Sr.); grandchildren: Reginald Merriweather, Joshua Merriweather, Gloria ‘glo’ Merriweather, Symone Woods, Jeremiah Merriweather, Shaunelle Casey, Alexiss Steele, I’Shaun Casey Jr, Jahia Hunn, I’rel Casey, Jabez Canady, I’Yanna Casey; great-grandchildren: Leah Sewell, Eevee Merriweather, Lauryn Sewell, Brandon Sewell Jr., Micah Sewell; brothers: Willie Coleman, David Coleman, and Otha Coleman, a special niece, Vanessa Avery, and a wide circle of beloved nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. 

Heaven is rejoicing. And God has declared, ‘Well done, My good and faithful servant.’

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