Gloria May (Bennett) Fusco

Gloria (Bennett) Fusco died peacefully at home on December 5, 2025, with family and loved ones by her side. Gloria was born in Pittsburgh on May 1, 1930, to Frank and Mary Bennett. She is survived by her sister, Mary McNiff (Kevin); two children, Kenneth Fusco (Lisa) and Anita Baumann (Chris); two grandchildren, Nichole Fusco and Kenny Fusco; two great-grandchildren, Callie Fusco and Giannia Fusco; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Raymond (Buck) Fusco; her son, Michael; her brothers, Frank (Frankie) and James (Jimmy) and her sister, Sr. Patricia Bennett, SND. She is also mourned by many friends from her social circle, her philanthropic activities, and her church community.

Gloria spent her first decade in McKees Rocks, surrounded by a large extended family of Italian and Lithuanian relatives. Savoring warm Mancini’s Italian bread and her aunt’s homemade tomato sauce inaugurated a lifetime love of good food lovingly prepared. While in Pittsburgh, she became a big sister, first with the arrival of her sister Patty and then Frankie, a role that taught her the importance of sisterly love and familial devotion. Her formative years were fondly remembered for the rest of her life, and, decades later, she could still name the members of the large Bennett clan who lived in McKees Rocks and Fleming Park. 

In 1940, her parents moved to a house on D Street in southeast DC, which happened to be across the way from the Fusco home. Young Gloria noticed a young man named Buck Fusco, who caught her eye, and she drew his attention by throwing rocks at him. In her early teens, before she was even old enough to date, she decided she would marry Buck, evidence that she knew how to play the long game. During her teenage years, two more siblings joined the family: a brother, Jimmy, and a sister, Mary. More than a decade older than her youngest siblings, Gloria was more than a sister. In very many ways, she mothered the youngest Bennetts, teaching them life lessons, advocating for their best interests, and nurturing them, all of which came naturally to her.

Gloria finished her elementary education at St. Francis Xavier and then attended Notre Dame Academy, both in DC. Already an avid reader from a young age, Gloria’s love of learning grew under the tutelage of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, who operated both schools. English, literature, history, and religion were her favorite subjects, but she took her religious education most seriously, memorizing and internalizing the smallest details of her Catholic faith. Even as a young woman, she innately understood that the tenets of her faith united to form a spiritual bulwark that would help her withstand the challenges that life would bring. More importantly, she figured out and embraced its most important truths: that this life is a precursor to eternal life and that a human soul is something to be valued and protected at all costs, a lesson she would continually impart to her children, siblings, nieces, and nephews. 

In 1948, after graduating from Notre Dame, Gloria finally landed that first date with the young man next door and in November 1950, she and Buck Fusco were married. That same period also saw her co-found, with several high school friends, the Alpha Nu chapter of Sigma Beta Sorority, a national philanthropic organization. In another example of her long game, both her marriage and these formative friendships lasted for decades. 

In the 1950s, Gloria worked for the federal government in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, but after the arrival of her first child, Michael, in 1960, she left the workforce to assume her longest-held roles: mother and homemaker. Being a mom was a dream long realized since she and Buck had remained childless for the first decade of their marriage. In 1961, a second son, Kenneth, was born, and then in 1968, a daughter, Anita, arrived. 

To say that Gloria was a devoted wife and mother is an understatement. Family was the main focus of her life, and she, along with Buck, ensured that the Fusco children were well-loved, well-behaved, well-educated, and well-formed in the Catholic faith. She expressed her love through her attention to the details of homemaking: a home-cooked meal every night, homework help, memorable holidays, and daily conversations with her children about their hopes, dreams, concerns, and fears. 

n 1976, Gloria and Buck lived every parent’s nightmare when Michael died after a nine-month battle with acute lymphocytic leukemia. Amazingly, amidst such a devastating loss, her faith remained strong. She never let her grief take her focus off the well-being of her family, and she worked tirelessly to help everyone adjust to the new normal after Michael’s death. A mere nine years later, she had to face the scariest of possibilities again when Anita was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. As always, she clung to prayer and faith and demonstrated remarkable strength as she traveled the DC beltway (which she hated to drive) several times a week to visit Anita at or transport her to NIH for treatment. 

As the decades wore on, her children grew up, found love, and forged careers. She welcomed her two grandchildren, Kenny in 1988 and Nichole in 1990, and extended hospitality and kindness to her daughter’s stepchildren, Katherine and Matthew. She said farewell to her beloved husband when he died in 1997 and navigated a new life as an active widow living in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. In 2016 and again in 2019, she added the title of great-grandmother to her roles, and she delighted in being Giannia’s and Callie’s Gigi. In 2022, after 24 years of living independently, she moved to Pennsylvania to live with Anita and her husband, finally allowing herself to be cared for after decades of caring for those most important to her. 

Gloria had a passion for volunteerism and service, fulfilling the Christian mandate to serve others. In addition to Sigma Beta sorority’s philanthropy, she also served on the parents’ council at Elizabeth Seton High School and on the planning committee for the Ronald McDonald House in Bethesda, Maryland. In her later years, she served on the committee to help plan the Northern Senior Center in Charlotte Hall, Maryland, and once it was built, she was there several days a week, participating in the homemakers’ group, leading the book club, organizing fundraisers, and teaching people how to play Canasta and Hand and Foot. She was also a member of a Red Hats group for many years. 

Always intellectually curious, she was an avid reader from the time she first sounded out words on a page until the last healthy moments of her life. She devoured the written word and often lamented, “So many books, so little time.” She loved difficult crossword puzzles and word games, especially marathon Scrabble games with her sisters. In her active years, she bowled weekly in a duckpin league, learned how to paint ceramics, and designed and made beautiful gift bags decorated with quilting fabric or greeting cards. 

She was an outstanding cook, and she never tired of looking at cookbooks, even when she was long past the age where she could stand at a stove. The challenges of aging didn’t stop her from helping others in the kitchen, however, and she was always will to engage in meal prep to the extent that she was able. Her homemade lasagna, pasta sauce, and overloaded fruitcakes will be long remembered by her family. 

Though a frugal spender and a sale shopper (she never paid a dime more than she had to for anything), she was exceedingly generous. Until her death, she gave regularly to several charities and sponsored children in several countries. As she would often say, “You cannot outgive the Lord,” so her blessings were shared freely and joyfully. 

Gloria represented faith in action. She prayed unceasingly, and her collection of favorite prayers went with her wherever she went, whether down the hall to her favorite chair or in her suitcase when she traveled to visit family in Maryland. She participated in Bible study and subscribed to Catholic magazines to keep learning. She embodied all the virtues, but especially faith, hope, and love. Not only did she protect her soul, but she worked tirelessly to protect those of her dearest loved ones. She wanted to bring as many people as possible with her to heaven, and she gently taught those around her until her last breath. Even in her final days, she showed us that faith can make us brave in the face of the unknown and that surrender to God offers a peace beyond measure. 

Gloria Fusco was unequivocally good, and she leaves us with an example of a heart bursting with love and soul in search of good. How very lucky were those who knew her, loved her, and cherished her! Because of who she was, what she gave us, and how she loved us, she will never be forgotten, and her legacy will be passed on from generation to generation. 

Family and friends will be received from 11:00 a.m. until time of Funeral Mass at Noon, Thursday, December 11, 2025, at St. John Vianney Roman Catholic Church, 3513 William Penn Avenue, Johnstown, PA 15909.  A mass will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday December 15, 2025, at Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church, 28297 Old Village Road, Mechanicsville, MD 20659. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Gloria’s memory to the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist via https://www.sistersofmary.org/donate/ or to Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Mechanicsville, MD via https://icchurchmd.org/donation-in-memory-of. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Gloria May (Bennett) Fusco, please visit our floral store.