Obituary of Gloria Hercik Calmer

 

Gloria Hercik Calmer, born Gloria Frances Hercik, was born on February 11, 1926 in Bay Shore,

Town of Islip, in Long Island, New York to parents Theresa and Joseph. Gloria was raised in Bay

Shore, and was eventually joined by a younger sister, Phyllis.

Beginning in her teenage years, Gloria was keen to work and gain independence. In high

school, Gloria worked at La Shears, a high-end clothing store in Bay Shore. After graduation,

she attended two years of college where she studied business. Sometime thereafter, Gloria set

her sights on moving from Long Island to Manhattan, and with the help of her Uncle Freddy,

brother to Theresa, Gloria began working at CBS News, where she spent the entirety of her

career.

Gloria started working at CBS News as the Executive Secretary to the Vice President of

Operations. After almost two decades in that role, she was promoted to Operations

Administrative Manager, in which she held a variety of responsibilities related to CBS’s labor

and employment matters. Gloria’s final role at CBS was Associate Director of Operations

Administration and Assistant to the Vice President, in which she was responsible for the

administration of several departments of CBS News operations involving over 300 employees,

both domestic and international. Gloria eventually retired from CBS in 1987 at the age of 61

following a tremendous career.

While at CBS, Gloria met Ned Calmer, who was a foreign war correspondent and radio host for

CBS News. Gloria and Ned were friends for some time before eventually marrying in 1974. After

they married, Gloria began splitting her time between Lawrence on Long Island with Ned and a

shared apartment in Manhattan. Gloria and Ned took many international trips, including to

Europe, Cuba, and South America. Together they enjoyed the best of both worlds: weekends at

the beach and the vibrant nightlife of New York during the week. Gloria survived Ned following

his untimely passing in 1986, but Gloria maintained a relationship with Ned’s son, Regan, as

well as his wife, Marina, and their three children. Gloria’s dog, Gigi, was a loving companion

throughout.

Family was always integral to Gloria. After Gloria’s sister, Phyllis, had two children, Gloria visited

with her nephews Rob and Greg out on Long Island when they would visit Theresa for about a

month each summer when they were young. After losing Ned and retiring from CBS, Gloria

spent considerable amounts of time with her nephews’ then-young families as well as Regan’s

children. She also spent much time with her mother in Theresa’s later years until the end of

Theresa’s life in 2001. Gloria spent much of her later decades involved in her great-niece and

-nephews’ lives, including many trips to Georgia to visit Rob and his wife Carol’s children,

Robbie and Marina, with whom she developed especially close relationships. As Robbie and

Marina grew up, Gloria frequently welcomed them up to New York in the summers, on holidays,

and later in life when the kids, now adults, would visit regularly for work and social trips. Robbie

and Marina became familiar with Gloria’s friends and her regular establishments around

Columbus Circle.

 

Gloria was an active member of her community. She volunteered at Unicef for six years and at a

soup kitchen through St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church for several years. She also was a

regular at the local YMCA, where she enjoyed aerobic dancing.

Following the destruction of the Lawrence house in Hurricane Sandy, Gloria moved full-time into

the city. Gloria famously never cooked, and instead used mealtimes as an opportunity to

socialize with friends out on the town. Throughout her later years, she was a regular at a

handful of neighborhood restaurants and bars, frequently enjoying a glass of Pinot Grigio or

Prosecco with her friends Ann and Liz.

Gloria passed away peacefully on April 2, 2025, at the age of 99 in the comfort of her

apartment. The family is grateful to her caregiver, Wendy, for enriching the final years of Gloria’s

life and enabling Gloria to age in place. We love you, Gloria, and miss you so much.

Gloria is survived by her sister, Phyllis; 2nd cousins Shirley and Barbra; son-in-law Regan

(Marina) and their children (Christopher, Maggie and Charlotte); nephew Rob (Carol),

great-nephew Robert, great-niece Marina, and their respective families; nephew Greg Sr.,

great-nephews Greg Jr., Trent and his respective family, and their mother, Paula.

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