Gloria (Badner) Hollander

It is with the deepest sorrow that the family of Gloria Badner Hollander announces her death in Irvine, California on March 10, 2019. Gloria was born on November 2, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York and was raised there and in Flushing, Queens. The child of Russian-Jewish immigrants, Herschel Gimpelman and Sarah Stecktman Gimpelman, Gloria grew up in the milieu of left-wing Yiddish culture. She attended Communist Yiddish youth camps, was attracted to New Deal politics, and was a lifelong Democrat. She received her B.A. in Education at Queens College. Gloria met her husband, the late Dr. Jack Badner, in Flushing. After their marriage, she lived briefly with Jack’s parents in Flushing, and then in Newport, Rhode Island, where Jack was an officer in the Navy. After Jack’s service was completed, the young couple moved to East Hartford, where Jack established his dental practice. They raised their children, Robert and Donna, in Bloomfield and West Hartford. In addition to raising her children, Gloria pursued her career as an educator, teaching children with reading disabilities. She later worked as an assistant to the dean at the University of Hartford College of Education, where she was in charge of the recruitment and retention of students. During this time, she married the late Jules Hollander. In her later years, Gloria lived in Boynton Beach, Florida, and for the last four years, in Laguna Woods, California to be near her son. Gloria was a lifelong reader, a lover of classical music, opera and the visual arts. She was an avid golfer. She was known for her abiding kindness, and formed many deep friendships throughout her life. She was a loving mother who always stood by her children. In addition to them, Gloria is survived by her granddaughter Oksana Badner-Brown, her sister Ricki Polisar, her daughter-in-law Dana Xie Badner, and her son-in-law Kibbe Brown. A brief ceremony will be held Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at 11 am at the Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation Memorial Park at 50 Mountainview Avenue in Avon. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to any organizations that support progressive values, the arts or the needs of children. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Weinstein Mortuary in Hartford. For further information or directions to the cemetery, or to sign a memorial book for Gloria, please visit www.weinsteinmortuary.com/funerals.cfm.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to any organizations that support progressive values, the arts or the needs of children.