Gloria Kraft

December 26th, 2021

Dear Kraft & Zeal Families: Thank you so much for sharing your family with me and then my family throughout the decades, and on this sad but memorable occasion, Gloria. Answering the door with “Shalom Y’All” on the outside jamb, she was never without her smile, bright eyes, and heartfelt welcoming nature.

When I first learned of the quick engagement, even as a teenager around 16, I was shocked, knowing even then that Don & Gloria lived a wonderful marriage. “Only three days?” I asked Gloria. “How’d you know?” Not verbatim, Gloria said she knew even on the first day. She had this advice for all women on finding the man of their dreams. Forget the cool guys. Find yourself a nerd. A nerd will love a woman and worship her all his life. And you know what? she added – the cool guy will likely fade away while the nerd blossoms into a wonderful provider and the happiest, most handsome man. She held up Don as Exhibit A, and looked at him with unmistakable love at all times, and he the same with her.

When I became an attorney, I spent my first 20 months in Juvenile Court in Kane County for the Public Defender’s Office. When I would be appointed to represent a girl, usually a younger teen, it was often the case she got into trouble over some “cool guy.” With my law school years, studying, moot court, and actual experience, I turned to The School of Gloria Kraft, advising these particular clients to first obtain their own independence and then, if they want a boyfriend, to find themselves a nerd for the exact reasons Gloria gave. I don’t know what impact these words had with any of the clients, but when I asked them where they thought the cool guy will be in 10 years versus the nerd, it seems the lightbulb appeared to begin to glow over their heads.

I did tell Gloria of this, and all she said in response is that she was not kidding.

Thank you, Kraft and Zeal families, for keeping us in your lives, and for the stories you continued to share about all your parents. We are grateful – and on this day, we remember the wonderful Gloria Kraft!

~Bruce Steinberg
~Friend, Saint Charles