Obituary of Gloria Sue Reall

Gloria Sue Reall left this Earth surrounded by her family on October 29, 2022. Words can not express the loss felt by her family. She lived an amazing life and leaves a hole her family will never fill. She was preceded in death by her mother, Elma and father, Woodrow. A nephew, Michael Johnson, a very special cousin, Billy Martin, an incredibly special Aunt, Pete and brother in laws, Don, George, Henry and Paul. She is survived by her husband of 60 years and her daughter Michele and son in law Kevin. Her grandchildren Kurt (Abby), Kyle, Michael (Amber) and Dan. Her sister Barbara Jean and her longtime companion Karl. Her brother-in-law Charlie and his special friend Karen and sister in laws Daisy, Pat and Pam. Great grandchildren Leon, Brianna, Katelynn, Sydney and Halle. In addition, she also leaves too many nieces and nephews to list but you all know how special you were to her. Sue lived a life of adventure. As an Army brat, she traveled the world. One of those last stops was in Anchorage, Alaska where she graduated high school and met Carl, her husband. Their story began in 1961 where they were part of a double date which grew to a loving relationship that endured more than 60 years. She started her banking career in 1962 as a file clerk at the First National Bank of Anchorage. After 30 years, she ended her career as a Senior Vice President in charge of the Escrow Department and Special Projects. Over her 30 years, she saw many changes at the Bank. She was there when the bank moved from manual books to a computer system, affectionally known as Blinky. When the Bank began to roll out ATMs, she was chosen to show how to use the new system. She paved the way for all women when she was the first female Vice President at the Bank and encouraged all to never stop learning and growing. With those beliefs in hand, she always believed anything and everything was possible, especially if you were female. Her next adventure took her to the hills of Preston County, WV where she and Carl began their lives as black Angus farmers. In the old farmhouse she began to explore her entrepreneurial side. She started a contract knitting business, in tandem with Appalachian by Design. She empowered women across the state to make money by knitting baby clothes and dog sweaters. Again, her belief in that anyone can do anything was preached to those she worked with. She taught these women more than knitting skills, she gave them confidence to be the best they could be and to dream big. Under her direction, baby clothes were knitted and sold in high end boutiques up and down the Eastern seaboard. Labeled under "Joy-Ful-Ly", they were featured in Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf's as well. They were so unique and special, the McCaughey Septuplets wore her creations on the cover of Ladies Home Journal magazine for their first Christmas in December 1998. Working with a boutique out of San Francisco, she designed dog sweaters that were not only sold in the Bay Area, but as far as Japan. The dog owners loved her sweaters so much they requested matching custom-made ones for themselves. This led her down another track of making custom made, sweaters for high end boutiques. Sold through trunk shows, she garnered a following of devoted fans of her designs. Given the devotion of her fans, we are certain those baby clothes, dog sweaters and so many more of her creations are still being used today. She then turned her full attention to creating quilts and socks for herself and family. She learned how to knit while in Germany. And as we all know, the more complicated the pattern for socks, the more she took it on as a challenge. For those of us who have worn out our handmade socks, we are sad a new pair won't be made to replace them. In addition to all of the family and loved ones she leaves behind, she also leaves a fabric and thread stash to last generations. For anyone who has had the pleasure to tour her sewing rooms, you will appreciate the many projects she always had in the works. A constant learner, she took classes about new knitting patterns or how to improve on her already amazing quilting and sewing skills. Her latest obsession was making purses. They had her stamp of creativity all over each one. For those of us lucky enough to have one of these creations, they are a beloved and treasured work of art. If you have ever walked into her kitchen and sat around her table, you will remember her love for cooking, baking bread and gadgets. She leaves behind a room filled with cookbooks, all with her handwritten notes on how to make the recipe just a bit better. Her spin on what the author actually meant instead of what they wrote. Her kitchen cabinets have all of the latest gadgets, which her family will need to figure out how to use. As well as a vast collection of spices and flours. It is the family's hope we can recreate some of her best dishes and cinnamon rolls which were always a welcomed Christmas gift by the neighborhood and family. In addition to all of those kitchen gadgets, we cannot forget her love of reading and her Kindles. Before the Kindle, when she left the house her purse always had a book in it. As she always said, you never know when you will need a book to fill time. She began to collect Kindles, probably beginning with the very first version along with electronic books. She loved that she could take all of her books with her and didn't have to choose. How do you sum up a life so filled with love and accomplishments in a short few paragraphs? We don't think you do. The family has chosen to honor Sue with a Celebration of Life. Come to celebrate, tell stories, laugh and shed a few tears as the family gathers to celebrate the life of this already much missed woman. The Celebration of Life will be at the Arthur H. Wright Funeral Home, Terra Alta, WV from 2:00 p.m. on Saturday November 12, 2022 until 4pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to WV Caring Hospice. (www.wvcaring.org)