On September 23,1941, fugitives George Schneider and Marion Schonetube were in custody on a passenger train bound for Milwaukee. They made a stop in Alliance, Ohio, in which the passenger car was turned into a birthing car where Penny Shonetube was born.
Penny, for the next five years, was in The Milwaukee County Home for Dependent Children. There were very few memories Penny could recall from her early years.
In 1947 Penny was adopted by Earl and Eleanor Rogne. They changed her name to Gloria Jean Rogne. She also had an adopted brother, Earl Curtis Rogne. They grew up in an emotionally and physically abusive home at the hands of their adopted parents.
Gloria’s family moved to San Fernando Valley when she was 11. They had a beautiful home with a swimming pool. The abuse continued. Just before Gloria’s 14th birthday she ran away. She was hunted, and went to juvenile hall until her court hearing . She proclaimed if she was returned she would runaway again. The judge sentenced her to Ventura School for Girls for two years. After attempts to escape, Gloria was transferred to The Convent of the Good Shepherd.
The Convent of the Good Shepherd gave little food at mealtime. One had to kneel before Mother Superior and ask for food. Gloria decided she would rather starve than to kneel, and beg for food. Gloria began plotting an escape with other girls. It was not meant to be. Gloria was transferred back to Ventura School for Girls.
At the school, she met the head of the school who took an interest in Gloria, stating “Gloria you have an innate breeding. Remember that the rest of your life.” She would recall those words several times in her lifetime.
At 16, while working in a factory, she met Bill Spencer, he was 33. Bill was a talented musician, playing 12 different instruments. They married in February 1959. They had 4 children together but the marriage did not last.
In the late 60’s Gloria met Edwin Anderson, a sailor she was introduced to by her landlord. She married Ed and they had 2 children. This marriage ended fairly quickly and Gloria left for Galveston in the early 70’s.
During Gloria’s time in Texas she was the first single woman to get a home loan in Galveston county. Gloria joined the Army National Guard and taught classes in San Antonio. She went to nursing school, and was a nurse in ICU and CCU until the mid 80’s. She continued her education earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Administration and a Master’s Degree in Behavioral Health.
In the 80’s Gloria worked with battered women and their children. The success rate went from 40 to 88 percent for women that did not return to the batterer.
Gloria never stopped working on her education she continued working on her PhD. A friend convinced her to go out where she met a lanky cowboy, Ira Morse. After a 3 month romance, they married on June 14, 1986, and through ups and downs they loved each other.
Several years after their marriage, Ira received a job offer and they moved to New Jersey for two years and her youngest son moved with them. Gloria took a job as an Executive Director of a Social Services Agency for the homeless and battered women and their children. “If a child was included, I requested the staff to provide a motel with a pool. I wanted the children to know that there were nice things in life that could be theirs one day and I wanted to bring a little sunshine in their lives. I had a great professional staff. I loved the job.”
Ira and Gloria moved to California after Ira got a job at a solar plant. Gloria worked as a nurse and taught Psychology at a community college. After a few years in California they returned to Texas.
Gloria had taken classes in Nursing Home Administration she interviewed with a company which owned 132 nursing homes in Texas. She was interim administrator and moved around correcting deficiencies in the homes. She was offered a permanent position at Magnolia Manor in Jefferson, and Gloria accepted. A few months later Ira retired and joined her. Gloria made a great impact on those residents in her care.
Gloria was diagnosed with stage 4 adenocarcinoma of the uterus After the biopsy it was found to have spread to the uteran wall and into the lymph nodes. Gloria survived and two years later she had numerous blood clots in her legs traveling to her lungs. Gloria ignored the warnings and did not follow up due to being busy working on her PhD, or at the nursing home.
A year later, Magnolia Manor sold and she took time off to travel in their RV. When they reached Idaho to see Gloria’s oldest daughter. Gloria spent many hours in the pool and hot tub. Gloria was taken to the hospital against her will because her lips and nose were blue. Gloria was in Cardiac Tamponade. A CAT scan discovered she had tumors throughout the lymph system. As soon as Gloria was released they hurried back to Texas where she went to UTMB-Galveston. The doctors did not have much hope for Gloria’s survival, but they went ahead with an experimental treatment and was excited that after 3 treatments Gloria’s CAT scan showed negative for tumors! Gloria was a fighter and stayed in remission and remained cancer free until her death on August 19, 2024. Gloria was with her family at home when she passed away.
This is a summary of Gloria’s story about an extraordinary woman that had an extra ordinary life as one of the amazing stories written in the book “O Woman by Bea Fogelman,” which led to her siblings finding her.
Gloria Jean Morse was preceded in death by her parents Earl and Francis Rogne; her brother Earl Curtis Rogne; son-in-law Doug Day; and granddaughter Brittany Rene’ (Orton) Kater.
Gloria leaves behind her darling lanky cowboy that she dearly loved Ira Morse; children, Dena (Dirk) Scott, Lisa (Shane) Nave, Kyle (Lysette) Spencer, Ryan (Jenny) Anderson, Rene (Richard) Collins, Vanice Day, and Tuesday (Harry) Greenwood; many grandchildren, great grandchildren; and great-great-grandchildren; and long-time friend Donna Haley.
A celebration of Gloria’s life will be on September 21, 2024, at their home on Lake of the Pines.