"You've come a long way baby"  A true Coal Miner's daughter, Flagstaff resident Gloria Everett (née Triplett) passed peacefully on July 27th  at the Sunnyside home of Wayne and Christine Everett, her son and daughter-in-law. She was a mere 5 weeks shy of her 96th birthday. A lucky survivor of breast cancer, Gloria was singularly known as "Mother" to everyone in the family. The only child of Henry and Elizabeth (née Crum) Triplett, her hardscrabble early life was spent in the Eastern Mountains of Kentucky. She was a devout Christian, beauty queen, accomplished seamstress and in-home naturopath who raised 4 children.

Born in Martin County, Kentucky, Jack's Hollow-Crum Branch (pronounced Haller by locals), Gloria was raised during the Great Depression in the Appalachian coal region of Kentucky and West Virginia. As a child, she was shuttled between mining towns in both States as her father Henry, sought work in the coal mines. Clad in overalls and iconic lamp helmet, he would return home every night bathed in a body paint of coal dust that resulted in "black lung". During that time, Gloria drew inspiration from her Grandmother, Roxie Crum, a midwife and herbalist who delivered over 200 babies and brought comfort to ailing neighbors.

By age 16 Gloria moved with her parents to Newberry Springs, California where Henry found work in the dry desert climate to ease the effects of his lung disease. Pert and attractive, she completed her education at Barstow High School in1945 where she was elected Homecoming Queen.

In 1946 while attending a church service in Flagstaff, she caught the eye of a ruggedly handsome ex GI by the name of Cecil Everett. As the story goes, she accidentally dropped her hankie nearby the strapping six-foot-five former soldier who was quick to retrieve it - and that was the inception of a romance lasting 57 years! Cecil, who was talented with the operation of large machinery possessed a personality the size of his physique. He charmed Gloria and her family and in 1948 the couple had the distinction of being the first ever to wed in Bullhead City Arizona, near the Davis Dam. They returned to Flagstaff where Cecil carried her across the threshold of their new home on North 2nd Street-which they never left.

Cecil took a job as a Greyhound Bus Driver in 1950 which he held until his retirement. Travel kept him away from home much of the time, leaving Gloria in charge of their 4 children and mostly running the household. She willingly took on the task, even finding time to organize the first gathering in their garage of what became the Greenlaw Baptist Church in Flagstaff and giving generously of her time to the Sunshine Rescue Mission.

Gloria will be remembered for her spirituality, her platitudes, her pecan pie, the bounties she could coax from her garden every year during the brief Flagstaff growing season and our annual Labor Day celebration of September birthdays.

She is survived by her 4 children, Marilyn (Art) Zeiner,  Jan (Mike) Stively, Debra (Phil) Gerard, Wayne (Christine) Everett, 11 Grandchildren and 12 Great Grandchildren.  Her beloved husband Cecil preceded her in death on March 27, 2005.  Mother and Papa are forever together in their Heavenly Home.

Visitation will be on Thursday, August 10 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm, funeral service will be on Friday, August 11 at 10:00 am at Norvel Owens Mortuary with burial at the Citizens Cemetery.  Reception to follow at the home of Wayne and Christine.

The family would like to acknowledge Comfort Keepers who took such great care of Mother since 2018, and Maggie's Hospice who was with her the last few weeks of her life.  She died peacefully and quietly with Wayne and Christine at her side.  The entire family visited with her a month prior to her passing and often spoke to her on the speaker phone to let her know that they loved her the last week we had with her.