Gloria Jane Maher Fagan

Gloria Jane Maher Fagan

Cedar Rapids

Gloria Jane Maher Fagan, 89, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away surrounded by her children in love and prayer on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. A visitation will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services, Cedar Rapids. A rosary will be said at 7 p.m. The funeral Mass will be celebrated at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church—where Gloria was a parishioner for 87 years—at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022. Burial to follow at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Cedar Rapids. All are invited to attend and it also will be livestreamed via the church YouTube channel and the funeral home website. Please find the funeral home livestream link on Gloria’s Tribute Wall, where you may also share your support and memories with her family at www.stewartbaxter.com under Obituaries.

Gloria was born on Aug. 16, 1933, to Francis Denis (Bud) Maher and Jane Lane Maher while living in Des Moines. At the age of 2 she moved to Cedar Rapids and was proud to call this city her home for the rest of her life. Gloria was the darling of her family, joining older brothers Denis, Richard (Dick), John and Bill, and her younger brother Jim.

On June 9, 1956, she married her sweetheart Donald Joseph Fagan and they began a wonderful life together. They welcomed nine children and created a loving home that was a welcome spot for family, friends, and the neighborhood kids between Park Avenue and Grand Avenue SE for decades. After the heartbreaking passing of Don in 1996, Gloria continued to inspire and guide her family in gathering together to celebrate big and small moments of love.

Gloria was the kind of woman who lived a simple, wonderful life. She appreciated the beauty in every little thing around her, especially sunny days, and loved walks around the neighborhood and sitting on her porch. She attended daily Mass as often as she was able, but always said a kind deed done for another counted, too. She had a sharp mind, thanks in part to being a committed reader, took interest in current events, loved sharing memories of days gone by, and was a Jeopardy pro.

She worked hard, prayed hard, and gave back to her community in so many ways over the years. But her true and absolute joy was her family. She hosted Easter egg hunts with great prizes, delighted in being together on all the holidays, including just last week for Thanksgiving, and always hosted donuts on Sundays after Mass. She hardly missed a school, church, or sporting event for her grandchildren living in town. And she loved getting to visit her children and grandchildren who moved away from Cedar Rapids for special occasions and family fun.

So many people will remember Gloria as the true gem that she was. Her most admirable and incredible quality was her ability to love. The matriarch of a large Irish Catholic family, it was truly a marvel to watch Gloria love each of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren just as they needed to be loved. To call her Mom or Grandma meant knowing you were loved wholly and completely. It was her life’s work and her enduring legacy.

Gloria was preceded in death, and now lovingly welcomed to heaven, by her parents and five brothers, Denis, Dick, John, Bill, and Jim; brother-in-law, James; sisters-in-law, Doris, Eileen and Catherine; and her husband, Don.

Those remaining to carry on her legacy of love and faith are her sweet friend and sister-in-law, Rosemary Maher; and three generations of family members.

Her children and their spouses: Janie Mills, Tom and Cindy Fagan, Mike and Sally Fagan, Cathy and John Downey, Jim Fagan, Dennis and Melissa Fagan, Diane and Doug Ropp, Susie Klinkhammer, and Brian Fagan.

Her grandchildren: Katie and Matt Giorgio, Joe Mills, Andy Mills and Laura Didier, Maggie and Matt Ireland, Dan Fagan and Sarah King, Mollie Fagan and Spencer Stater, Patrick and Allison Fagan, Kara Fagan, Sean Fagan, Kevin Fagan, Erin Fagan, Kelli Downey and Ryan Tinker, Anne and Yev Fastovskiy, Joe Downey, Emily Downey, Will Downey, Tom Downey, Casey Fagan, Eileen and Kevin Walsh, Michael and Brigid Ropp, Brian Ropp, Katy Ropp, Matthew Ropp, Jack Klinkhammer, Emma Klinkhammer, Connor Klinkhammer, and Caroline Klinkhammer.

And her great-grandchildren: Tom and Lucy Giorgio, Frank, Oscar, and Gloria Jane Ireland, Wyatt and Cain Fagan-Stater, Annabelle Fagan, Leo and Francisco Downey-Tinker, and Lena, Coen and Calvin Fastovskiy.

She also is survived by many extended family members, including cousins, nieces and nephews and their families, and friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Immaculate Conception Church, St. Matthew Church, or the Sisters of Mercy. The family thanks the healthcare and spiritual teams of the Mercy Medical Center Emergency Department for supporting and ministering a peaceful, prayerful, comfortable, and dignified farewell that lived up to her name, Gloria.