Gloria Jean Samz, 85, Two Rivers, passed away surrounded by her family on Friday, January 2, 2026. She was born on June 9, 1940, to the late Eugene Sr. and Viola (Shimon) Petska. Gloria was a 1958 graduate of Denmark High School. She married Donald H. Samz on May 12, 1962, at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Two Rivers.

Following graduation, Gloria worked for Metal Ware Corporation in Two Rivers. After getting married, she farmed alongside her husband, Donald, for 40 years. She milked the cows, fed the animals, and did what was needed to support the farm. Her full-time job was raising the children and caring for the family. Once she retired from farming, she worked part-time as a secretary at St. Peter the Fisherman Catholic Church.

Gloria loved to plant flowers in the flower beds surrounding her home. She filled her wishing well and beds with beautiful annuals each year. She also loved to plant, harvest, can, and freeze both vegetables and fruit. The food cellar and the freezers were always fully stocked as feeding a large growing family was a big job.

Gloria was very involved in her children's activities and especially in the Tannery Stars 4-H Club. She was a project leader and then club leader for many years and was involved in countywide 4-H activities as well. As the matriarch of the family, she was always the one behind the camera lens taking pictures to record her children's activities. She was a Harlequin Romance book reader too. As she grew older, she enjoyed putting puzzles together, watching the Halmark channel, HGTV, and the Game Show Network. Over the last year she found great joy in playing Bingo and Sheepshead. Gloria loved watching sports, especially the Packers, Brewers, and her grandchildren's sporting events both in person and online. She had multiple bird feeders and enjoyed seeing the variety of birds coming to visit and eat. Since 2020, she became very comfortable with online shopping through Amazon, Walmart, and grocery stores. She prided herself on being able to navigate the internet as much as possible independently and would seek assistance from her daughters only when she found herself stuck.

What made her most happy was family gatherings and staying connected with her children and grandchildren through FaceTime. She talked every day with two or more family members. She also enjoyed reaching out to friends and relatives to check in with them or checking out their news feeds on Facebook. She was a social butterfly!

Gloria is survived by her children, Cheri (David) Sylla, Brookfield, Dawn (Roy) Wendt, Green Bay, Michael (Sarah) Samz, Two Rivers, Tina (Mike) Buelow, Muskego, and Carrie (Todd) McMahon, Appleton; grandchildren, Wesley (Jordan), Eric, Brian (Becky), Kevin (Melissa), Abby (Graham), Samantha, Cadance, Ethan, Keira, Savannah, and Addy; great-grandchildren: Jasper, Dexter, Zoe, Steven, Brady, Elizabeth, Evelyn, and Lucas; sister Beverly (Bernard) Nowicki, of Cedarburg; and two sisters-in-law Carol Mertens of Manitowoc, and Gloria Schmidt of Manitowoc; extended family member, Violet Schlegel of Janesville; she is further survived by many nieces, nephews, and other relatives

She was preceded in death by her husband, Donald: her parents, Eugene and Viola (Shimon) Petska; her son, David Samz; brother Eugene Petska Jr.; sister-in-law Bonnie Petska; and brothers-in-law Jerry Schmidt and Wayne Mertens.

The family will greet relatives and friends at St. Peter the Fisherman Church, Two Rivers, on Thursday, January 8, 2026, from 9:00 am. Until 10:45 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11:00 a.m. with Fr. Dave Pleier officiating. Burial to take place at Holy Cross Cemetery, 3801 Mishicot Rd, Two Rivers. The funeral service will be livestreamed for those unable to attend.

Deja & Martin Funeral Chapel is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences can be shared at DejaMartin.com.