Gloria Cope Hildebrand

Gloria Cope Hildebrand, 78, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, wife of the late Thomas Chester Hildebrand, Sr. died Tuesday, October 13, 2015. Her Funeral Service will be held Friday, October 16, 2015 in the First Baptist Church of Mt. Pleasant, 681 McCants Drive at 11:00 am. Interment will follow in Mt. Pleasant Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends Thursday, October 15, 2015 in the J. HENRY STUHR, INC., MOUNT PLEASANT CHAPEL from 5:00 until 7:00 pm.

Gloria was born on November 8, 1936, in Marion, South Carolina, but grew up in the (then) quaint town of Mount Pleasant. One of two daughters born to Rodney and Mae Cope, she is survived by her sister Barbara Inglett.

While attending Anderson College, Gloria, the Mount Pleasant Belle, met a handsome Citadel cadet named Tom Hildebrand, whom she married when they both graduated from college in 1957. Tom and she had five children (Terri Curran of Landenberg, Pennsylvania; Beth Cabiness of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Tom Hildebrand of Charleston, South Carolina; Holly Patterson of Charleston, South Carolina; and, Kristofer Feurer of Wilmington, North Carolina), 16 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.

Gloria and Tom shared a joyful marriage of 57 years before he predeceased her in April of this year. They led full lives filled with family and many friends. Tom and Gloria lived in many different cities while Tom worked for Dupont, and then traveled all over the world during their retirement years.
Gloria enjoyed gardening, collecting antiques, decorating her house in a welcoming style, playing bridge and "suggesting" projects for Tom to do around the house.

Gloria's deep and unwavering Christian faith provided joy and strength throughout her life. Gloria acted on her heartfelt concern for those less fortunate. She religiously mailed, each and every month, donations to the five or six charities she supported, including her favorite, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Foremost though, Gloria was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She was always more interested in knowing how you were doing than in telling you how she was. Her children will forever remember the absolute, unequivocal and unconditional love which their sweet mother always enveloped them in.