Gloria Oren

Their story

The life behind the memories

A Life of Family, Discovery and Connection

Gloria Oren's life was a remarkable journey of discovering where she came from, building a family of her own, and helping others understand the importance of knowing their roots.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Gloria was adopted at birth. She grew up as an only child, knowing from a young age that she had another family somewhere in the world.

What she didn't know was that she was actually the oldest of a much larger family of half-brothers and half-sisters.

Her biological mother, Marcia, had been only sixteen years old when Gloria was born.

As Gloria grew older and became a mother herself, the unanswered questions about her biological family became increasingly important. What began as a search for family medical history developed into a sixteen-year journey to discover her identity and her roots.

Eventually, that persistence paid off.

After decades apart, Gloria finally found Marcia and spoke with her biological mother for the first time. She also spoke with her biological grandmother that same day.

For someone who had spent much of her life wondering where she belonged, an enormous missing piece of her story had finally been found.

But Gloria didn't simply keep that experience to herself.

She became deeply interested in genealogy and spent countless hours researching family histories, following DNA connections and solving the little mysteries that connect one generation to another.

She was also a writer and editor, eventually putting her own extraordinary story into words.

In 2016, Gloria published her memoir, Bonded at Birth: An Adoptee's Search for Her Roots, sharing the story of her adoption, her long search for her biological family and the determination that kept her going.

Gloria described herself in five words:

Dependable. Dedicated. Helpful. Creative. Caring.

Those words tell another part of her story.

Away from genealogy and writing, Gloria enjoyed the simple things that made her happy—reading, crocheting, needlepoint, paint-by-number, Scrabble and jigsaw puzzles. She loved dogs, treasured her children's childhood blankets and once even had the adventure of feeding apple slices to a bear at a sanctuary in Alaska.

Most importantly, Gloria was a mother and grandmother.

She raised three children and lived long enough to see another generation of her family arrive—the continuation of a family story she had once worked so hard to discover.

Gloria died on November 5, 2023, at the age of 69.

Her story, however, didn't end that day.

She left behind her children and grandchildren, the family she spent years searching for, the people whose lives she touched, the genealogy she uncovered, and a book that ensures her remarkable journey will continue to be told.

And among the family she eventually discovered was a little brother she hadn't grown up with.

Me.

We didn't get to share a childhood together. We didn't have all those years that brothers and sisters normally have.

But she was my sister.

Family sometimes finds its way into our lives by a very different road than we expected.

Gloria spent much of her life searching for that road.

She found us.

Raise a Glass to Gloria

Here's to Gloria—

To the little girl who wondered where she came from.

To the mother who wanted answers for her children.

To the woman who refused to stop searching.

To the writer who had the courage to tell her story.

To the genealogist who understood that every name on a family tree represents a life worth remembering.

And to my sister.

The search is over, Gloria.

You found your family.
You found your story.
And we'll make sure you're remembered.