Gloria Standford Love

Gloria Stanford Love, 91, passed away peacefully on April 17, 2025, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Born on May 17, 1933, in Kansas City, Missouri, Gloria lived a vibrant and multifaceted life marked by professional achievement, creative expression, and deep personal connections.

Gloria began her career as a Clinical Medical Technologist, working in both doctor’s offices and hospital laboratories. Her dedication to precision and care defined her early professional years. Later, she embraced a new adventure as an airline hostess with Trans World Airlines (TWA), a role she was especially proud to have attained. 

Following her marriage to Robert (Bob) Dobson, Gloria transitioned into entrepreneurship. Together, they introduced Spring Crest Custom Draperies to Oklahoma and successfully expanded their business into two Dobson's Interior Designs locations in Oklahoma City. Her ambitious spirit continued as she built a Shaklee Products business from the ground up, eventually rising to an executive level before retiring in the late 1980s.

Gloria’s personal life was equally rich. She was raised in the Christian faith and later embraced Catholicism. Her love for music and movement found expression through piano playing and ballroom dancing—an activity that brought her immense joy and led her into competitive dance circles. It was at one such dance event in 1987 that she met Col. John C. Love. Their connection was immediate, sparked by a shared passion for poetry. They married just six weeks later and enjoyed 27 years of companionship filled with creativity and mutual admiration.

Family remained central throughout Gloria’s life. She is lovingly remembered by her daughter Diane (Dobson-Russell) Feinberg; grandson Robert Russell; stepdaughter Arlene Love; stepsons Jack Love, Richard Love, and Jim Love; as well as numerous step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Grace and George Stanford; brother George Stanford Jr.; both of her husbands—Robert Dobson and John Love—and stepdaughter Linda LeBorgne.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at 10:00 am on April 24, 2025, at Epworth Villa, located at 14901 N Pennsylvania Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73134. 

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to the American Heart Association.