Obituary of Gloria Jean Tonskemper

Gloria “Glo” Jean Tonskemper passed away peacefully on June 6, 2025 at the age of 77. She was a resident of Martin Luther Care Center in Bloomington, MN. Glo was born in Minneapolis, MN on March 11, 1948. She was the loving daughter of Bernard Francis Tonskemper and Barbara Ann Grady.

In 1970, Glo earned a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education and Music from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.  She was an Elementary School Teacher for the 4th and 6th grades at Saint Paul Public Schools (Farnsworth, Tilden, Cherokee Heights, Benjamin Mays, East Consolidated/Bruce F. Vento) for over 25 years.

She was also a long-time member of Resurrection/Our Lady of Peace (Minneapolis, MN), Joan of Arc (Minneapolis, MN) and Saint Louis King of France (St. Paul, MN) Catholic Communities. She was an avid singer, alto being her specialty, and pianist and participated for many years in the church choirs.

She had a great passion for teaching, tutoring and children’s books. She always wanted to publish her own children’s story. She thoroughly enjoyed poetry, journalling, gardening, collecting religious trinkets, Wizard of Oz memorabilia, “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “Young and the Restless” soap operas, 5-speed manual transmissions, Charles Schultz’s “Peanuts,” Egyptian history and relics, National Geographic, Feng Shui, colorful makeup, dangly earrings, and loud socks. Her resilience was a part of her faith – she was a feminist, a lover of all things needing love, loved to indulge, and unabashedly authentic to herself.

Glo had a love of travel – often jet-setting to Australia, Canada and many other states and events or just to be a tourist – including the 1988 Calgary, Alberta, Winter Olympics, and the Minnesota Twins’ World Series games both in 1987 and 1991.

Most important of all – she loved her family and friends. She came from a great, big Catholic family with six other siblings and numerous friends from the Southwest Minneapolis neighborhood – often called, lovingly: “5808.”

You really cannot talk about Glo without mentioning the lifetime partnership with her sister, Ann. Ann and Glo were like the glue that held everyone together; holding many a grand party at their longtime residence, “Emerald Street,” in St. Paul, MN. Ann and Glo lived together for over 50 years and were separated upon Ann’s untimely death in 2016. They did have a most beloved dog for a while – “Freija” – a pet they talked about for years after she was gone. Glo continued to hold Ann deep in her heart in the years since her death.

She had six nephews and nieces, which she spoiled properly with gifts, trips, and greeting cards. Although she never was married nor had children – she thought of her nieces and nephews as her children and raised them just as she was their mother.

Glo is preceded in death by her parents, siblings Brian Tonskemper, Jane Tonskemper, and Ann Tonskemper; brother-in-law Tom Viehman and sister-in-law Genevieve (Geny) Tonskemper; survived by her eldest sister, Susan Proctor and brother-in-law John Proctor of Placerville, CA; youngest siblings, Paula Viehman of Bloomington, MN, and Kevin Tonskemper of Edina, MN; nephews Abe (Tamatha) Proctor of Portland, OR, Nik (Megan) Proctor of Sebastapol, CA, Edwin “Eddie” (Sarah) Viehman of Richfield, MN; nieces Mary (Nate) Mickalowski of Bloomington, MN, Anne (Matt) Rivard of Woodbury, MN, Anna (Aaron) Halvorson of Tolna, ND; Great Aunt to Audrey Markley, Alex Proctor, Finn Proctor, Ella Proctor, Bailey Curtis (Mickalowski), Kayley Mickalowski, Grace Halvorson, and Thomas Halvorson. She was a great friend and mentor to many, many others.

On behalf of Glo’s family – we would like to express our deep appreciation of the hard-working and kind staff that cared for her over the last years – from Amira Choice Assisted Living in Bloomington, MN, M Health Fairview – Southdale Hospital of Edina, MN, York Gardens Assisted Living/Memory Care Unit in Edina, MN, to Martin Luther Care Center in Bloomington, MN. She was always so well taken care of and our family is forever grateful.

Visitation and Service information – Celebration of Life in the Fall of 2025. More details will be provided closer to that time.