Gloria Lucas

Gloria Trulli Lucas was born in Westchester County, New York on June 11, 1936, to Antonio Enrico and Assunta Trulli. She was the daughter of Italian immigrant parents who met at the Bed and Breakfast her father’s family established for newly arrived, fellow immigrating Italians. Her two brothers, Alfred and George, were 21 and 18 years old at the time of her birth. Gloria adored her mother and admired her childlike love of the Savior. She loved and admired her father for his hard-working example and work ethic. Gloria enjoyed an immense amount of love from both parents.

She grew up on the Hudson River between the United States Military Academy at West Point and Sleepy Hollow (of Washington Irving’s “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” fame). Although she never mastered the language, she loved everything about her Italian heritage, from her beautiful maiden name (Trulli) to the authentic recipes that made up a big part of her diet.

In November 1957, Gloria married Robert Lowell Lucas (“Bob” as Gloria lovingly called him), and the couple moved around the Northeast to support Bob’s work as an electrical engineer and radar specialist for several companies. While they were living in Morristown, New Jersey, the young couple learned about the restored gospel and joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on March 29, 1963. Unfortunately, the then-41-year-old Bob suffered a massive heart attack while jogging at a YMCA and died in 1969, leaving the grieving Gloria alone (they had not been able to have children) to chart her course. Gloria wistfully described her happy marriage to Bob with a fondness that was touching and sincere. She always felt as if Bob remained involved in her life and looked forward to a grand reunion.

Following Bob’s death, Gloria somehow picked herself up, dusted herself off, relied on her faith and her innate optimism, and kept moving forward. She welcomed her aging parents into her New Jersey home (which she and Bob had not been able to sell for their short-lived transfer to Weston, MA) and drew on the strength and friendship of her Ward family while she tried to figure out what to do next. She started her college education at Rutgers University, and studied there until her father’s death, when she heard that Utah County was “the Mecca for Mormon divorcees and widows.” She sold her New Jersey home and took her mother (like Ruth and Naomi, Gloria would laugh) into the west to an unknown land and an unsure future.

Once in Utah, Gloria continued to put herself through school, obtaining her undergraduate degree from BYU and a graduate degree from the University of Utah. She became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in 1978, and first went to work for LDS Social Services, where she counseled unwed mothers for seven years. She worked in several clinics in Utah and Salt Lake Counties before opening her own practice, the Women’s Counseling Center at Village Green in Provo, which she successfully ran for 17 years.

Gloria retired in 2001, sold her home in Provo’s Edgemont neighborhood, packed her bags again, and set out to serve an LDS mission in Rome, Italy. Her mission was cut short due to some health challenges, but she would speak of her time in Rome with a twinkle in her eye. Gloria always loved serving the Lord and held many callings through the years which she would recall with gladness. One favorite was her calling to serve as an investigator at Provo’s Mission Training Center, where she spent eight years listening to–and learning to love–new missionaries.

Upon her return from Rome, Gloria purchased a home in Springville, Utah. She lived in Springville from 2002 until her death on September 11, 2026. Anyone who breached the perimeter of her home could see that Gloria was blessed with the gift of beautification. She loved to make her living space beautiful and functional and had an eye for both practicality and aesthetic beauty.

Gloria Lucas was well-beloved and kept many friends around her. Her story is one of faith, fortitude, and fearlessness in the face of life’s obstacles.

Gloria is survived by her nephew, David Trulli, her nieces, Mary Ann Trulli, Susan Trulli Varteresian, and Maria Trulli Briones, and her cousin, Christine King.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, September 26, 2026 at the Hobble Creek 16th Ward Chapel, 495 South Canyon Road, Springville, Utah. (No prior visitation.) She will be interred in the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York. Condolences may be extended and memories shared online at www.bergmortuary.com.