Eulogy for Gloria Pomerantz

I met Gloria in the Summer of 1989 when I did temporary legal secretarial work for her.  I had just completed my first year of law school.  My first impression of Gloria was not her striking physical beauty, though Gloria thought she was so beautiful that her very presence struck envy in other female attorneys.  I was struck by the gigantic poster board pictures of her beautiful grandchildren, Nicole, Richard, Eddie and Jessica, all over her office.  Gloria was a doting grandmother to those small children.

We became friends and I met her whole family--Her mother, Rose.  Her brother Howard, her sister Harriett, daughters, Debbie and Sherri, son-in-law, Richard, and her husband, Jerry.  I learned about her father, the land developer, and how her second husband told her she should go to law school.  Until then she never thought she was smart enough to be a lawyer. 

After I became an attorney and opened my own practice I still worked at Gloria’s office at night, sometimes as late as 1 AM, to supplement my attorney income.  I interviewed and hired Kay Povey to be Gloria’s secretary.  I remember this vividly because Gloria called me the Sunday morning before Kay was to start work.  Gloria’s mother had just died.  Gloria asked if I would please be at the office to help Kay.  I said I would be.  That Sunday night my brother was hit by a car, and Kay was on her own.  Fortunately Kay is brilliant.

Gloria and I also co-counseled cases together. We were very different personalities, but we were both hard workers.  I remember once going into Gloria’s office with my step-children to pick up some documents.  As I foraged through her desk I looked at my step-children and said, “Don’t mess anything up in here.”  That’s a joke, you’d have to know Gloria to know that.  Did you ever see her car? 

My funniest Gloria story pertains to a case we co-counseled in Palm Beach County.  We had to go up there several times for court and depositions.  This began a ritual of going to a restaurant in Palm Beach proper after each such appearance.  The restaurant served a gazpacho margarita which is gazpacho with a tequila floater.  That drink was so delicious. 

So one day we’re up there, enjoying our gazpacho margaritas, and we have plans to meet Gloria’s husband, Jerry, for dinner in Boca, Mizner Park.  Gloria always spoke so glowingly of Jerry.   I had not yet met him.  Gloria had more than one margarita.  I only had one, ‘cause I was driving.  We got to Mizner Park and were met by Gloria’s step-son who was joining us for dinner.  We sat at the table when in walked Jerry.  Jerry also had a striking physical presence.  He came into that restaurant wearing pants and a t-shirt that was so thin you could see his chest hair through it.  But Jerry’s chest hair was not his most striking feature that would be his stomach that swayed back and forth, just above his knees. 

Gloria had a glass of wine with dinner.  After dinner, when they asked if you want coffee or dessert, Gloria told Jerry she would like to have a coffee drink.  Jerry admonished her telling her, “Gloria, you already had a glass of wine, if you have a coffee drink, you will not be able to drive.”  Gloria responded, “Marian is driving.”  Jerry looked at me and said, “You’re very smart.”  And I was thinking that coffee drink is not her second drink. 

On the drive home I asked Gloria, “Why does your husband dress like that?”  She said Jerry says he makes over a million dollars a year, and can dress anyway he wants.  I responded anyone can dress however they want, but that sounded like an anger issue.  It was a precursor of things to come.

Aside from any trial in which she represented clients, Gloria endured a lot of personal trials.  Her divorce from Jerry was nightmare.  After that divorce she saw a psychic who said something about the love of her life, which Gloria immediately equated with Jerry.  When she told me the story I said I can’t believe after all that crap when someone mentions the love of your life your mind goes to Jerry.  They had some kind of soul connection because she was actually doing a drive by of his house, her old house, when the police were there because Jerry had died in the house and his body was being removed from it. 

Gloria and I were both very maternal.  Once my daughter had a medical emergency and I couldn’t get to my step-daughter to pick her up at school.  I called Gloria.  She and her secretary, Angie, raced to the school to pick Margaux up for me.

Gloria’s daughter, Sherri, died after an almost decade long battle with cancer.  No cancer patient ever had a more zealous health care advocate than Sherri.  I went to hospice to see Sherri.  In my law practice I visit a lot of dying people.  I have never seen anyone in worse shape, but still completely aware, vocal and demanding as Sherri was that day.  In her pitiful condition Sherri told her mother to get her out of hospice because she was going to die there and she didn’t want to die.  Sherri was moved to a hospital room where she lived another 3 months.  I doubt there is a stronger force on earth than a lawyer mom caring for her daughter who is dying of cancer. 

I’ve also never met a person more afraid of death than Gloria.  A year or so after Sherri died Gloria told me she had a visitation from her.  It wasn’t like a dream.  It was real.  Gloria said Sherri told her, “Mom, it is so beautiful here.”  My hope is they are enjoying that beautiful place together and that Gloria’s trials are over.