Gloria Ribnick

Gloria Rosenzweig Ribnick passed away after a brief illness, on her own terms, peacefully in her sleep, having been surrounded by family and friends, on Thursday, December 29, 2022, in Houston, Texas. She was born on August 25, 1927, in Houston, Texas to the late Louie and Mollie Rosenzweig. Gloria was a proud native Houstonian, having attended public school in the Heights, where she grew up living above her parent’s grocery store, Studewood Food Market. She was a Reagan High School (now Heights) Red Coat, playing the trumpet, and maintained a lifelong friendship with many of her fellow Red Coats. She “bled orange, having attended the University of Texas, where she obtained a Bachelor of Journalism degree, and served as Editor of the UT yearbook, the Cactus, during her time in Austin. She then moved home to Houston, and eventually met and married the love of her life, Jerry Ribnick, a fellow journalist, who was working for the Houston Chronicle at the time. They were married for 44 years, until his passing in 1996. During that time, she and Jerry owned Ribnick and Associates Advertising and Public Relations, where they served so many Houstonians in the community in the nascent years of the PR industry. Gloria was an active partner with Jerry, writing, producing and directing many TV and radio commercials for which they won several regional awards. Further, she and Jerry were a dynamic duo in the fabric of the Houston Jewish and secular community’s non-profits, serving on the boards of too many charities to list here. Their main passions however were Interfaith Charities and B’nai B’rith/B’nai B’rith Women, where they both respectively served on local, regional and international Boards. Locally, Gloria was active as one of the first chairs of Shoe Shoe Train, a drive to gather and distribute shoes for those without. She was also an advisor locally and regionally for BBYO, a Jewish youth group, starting right after college. Gloria actively volunteered alongside Jerry at Goldberg B’nai B’rith Towers, a senior housing center that Jerry had helped to establish, along with several others. They were active at their synagogue , Congregation Emanu El. Showing her full love of interfaith activities, Gloria was a longstanding volunteer with the Houston Italian Federation, and she served on the board of Festa Italia for years, bringing delicious food and vibrant culture to all. Gloria was a bit of a daredevil, learning to snow ski and captain a sunfish sailboat in her late 30’s, waterskiing, hiking, and staying active through her late 80’s. She was an avid collector of funny socks, amassing nearly 250 pairs that reflected her true joie de vie. In fact, the family invites those coming to her service to wear their favorite pair of fun socks as a tribute to Gloria’s humor and sense of style. After Jerry passed away, Gloria started a new career (at age 70) with Jewish Family Service. As Director of Marketing and PR for nearly 25 years, Gloria produced the 1st printed newsletters for JFS that brought in over $10 million in donations to JFS. She wrote hundreds of articles for the Jewish Herald-Voice and community newspapers, served as staff manager for two groundbreakings and two new building opening events, produced 18 JFS annual meetings on her own, managed JFS’s annual staff United Way campaign and the list goes on and on. When the pandemic began, Gloria, known lovingly as the “Energizer Bunny” didn’t slow down. She continued to work remotely via Zoom and her trusty laptop. She served as an inspiration to interns, staff members and lay leaders for what it can look like to live a full life of productive impact even into your mid-90’s. Gloria was predeceased in death by her parents, Louie and Mollie Feigelson Rosenzweig, her three sisters, Arena Joseph, Seline Gerson, and Eleanor Rosenzweig , as well as her husband of 44 years, Jerry J. Ribnick, her son-in-law, Eric Kleiman, and her granddaughter, Jenna Michelle Kleiman. She is survived by her children, L. Greg Ribnick and Amelia Ribnick Kleiman, her grandchildren who were the lights of her life, Selina (Holden) Ribnick Broadaway, Brett Kleiman, and Jacklyn Kleiman, as well as many nieces, nephews (and ‘great’ and ‘great- great’ nieces and nephews), and many other loving friends and family. The family would like to thank Houston Methodist Hospital for the care they took of her in her final days, along with the Jewish Family Services staff, Anthology Assisted Living and Trinity Hospice. Gloria always showed a true commitment to life – living it to its fullest and going full speed, because, as her mother told her, “If you rest, you rust.” It’s fair to say Gloria represented the energy and joy in life that we all should strive to achieve. A private family graveside service will be held at Congregation Emanu El Cemetery. A memorial service will be held on Monday, January 2, 2023 at 12:00pm, open to all Gloria impacted, at Congregation Emanu El, 1500 Sunset Blvd., Houston, TX, 77005. Anyone wishing to watch via streaming should go to the Emanu El website (https://www.emanuelhouston.org). In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Linda L. Burger Discretionary Fund or the Gloria Ribnick Marketing Internship Fund, both at Jewish Family Service, 4131 S. Braeswood Blvd., Houston, Texas 77025, or to the Gloria and Jerry Ribnick Funds for Passover meals or BBYO Leadership at the Houston Jewish Community Foundation, 5603 S. Braeswood Blvd, Houston, TX 77096 (please designate preferred usage), or to the charity of one’s choice. If any family or friends desire to donate towards the food to be served following the memorial service at Emanu El on Monday, January 2, please visit houstoncatering.com. In the top right corner, click on shiva and enter Gloria Ribnick where it requests "name of family". If you prefer, you may call 713-257-9898 to make a donation. The family thanks you in advance for helping with this.

Gloria Ribnick

August 25, 1927 - December 29, 2022