Northampton, MA — Gloria P. Ferber, Ph.D., passed away peacefully on August 3, 2022, at the age of 84, with loved ones by her side. Cherished by her family and friends, Gloria enriched the lives of all who knew her and will be long remembered with love.

Gloria was born on May 11, 1938, in Bronx, NY, the daughter of Eastern European Jewish immigrants, the late Meyer Pearlman and Lillian (Alpert) Pearlman. She liked to quip that “you can take the girl out of the Bronx, but you can’t take the Bronx out of the girl.” A voracious reader with a passion for the arts, Gloria graduated from the High School of Music and Art and went on to earn a B.A. in fine arts in 1959 from the City College of New York, where she developed her talent as a painter.

In 1957, Gloria met the love of her life, the late Dr. Peter H. Ferber, when both were working as counselors at a summer camp for underprivileged youth. Two years later, they embarked upon a 54-year marriage, eventually settling in Rockland County, NY, where they raised their three children in a restored 19th century farmhouse. Gloria did projects with her children, became an accomplished potter and gourmet cook, cultivated gardens and friendships, and filled the house with the art treasures she and Peter loved to collect.

Aware of children struggling in the local school system and wanting to help, Gloria returned to graduate school to earn a master’s degree in special education from Bank Street College of Education in 1975. Gloria became well known in the community as a learning disabilities specialist. In 1977, Gloria and Peter co-founded the Center for Learning and Development (CLD) in New City, NY, a pioneering multidisciplinary center that provided integrated services for children with learning disabilities, which Gloria ran until 1989.

In 1988, at the age of 50, Gloria earned her Ph.D. in educational psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University, completed a re-specialization program in clinical psychology in 1990, and launched the second chapter of her career as a psychologist. Until her retirement in 2006, Gloria ran a successful clinical practice providing psychotherapy, comprehensive psychological and educational assessments, and consultation. She presented at conferences, led local professional associations, and taught and supervised graduate students as a faculty member of Bank Street College of Education. Over the course of her career, Gloria helped hundreds of children, teens, and adults develop the emotional resilience and social and academic skills they needed to thrive.

Gloria pursued her lifelong passion for the arts and culture with equal enthusiasm. She loved to frequent museums, craft fairs, theater, opera, concerts, and dance performances. A food connoisseur, Gloria delighted in sampling diverse cuisines on the local restaurant scene, as well as treating friends and family to the gourmet meals she cooked at home. She loved to travel with Peter, whether to a summer cottage on Martha’s Vineyard or to international destinations such as France, Italy, Turkey, and China. When Gloria retired and moved to Massachusetts in 2006, she took up painting again, creating landscape paintings that captured the natural beauty of her local surroundings.

A woman of impressive intellect, professional accomplishment, and artistic talent, what endeared Gloria to so many was her warmth, sensitivity, and kindness, her sense of humor and joie de vivre, and her gentle, loving ways. These never flagged during her long battle with Alzheimer’s, a challenge she handled with characteristic strength and grace.

Gloria was predeceased by her beloved husband Peter. Left with loving memories are her children Judy Ferber, Dan Ferber, and Ben Ferber (Aimee D’Onofrio), grandson Oliver, sister Ruth Sherman (Bill Sherman), and dear extended family of nieces, nephews, cousins, and lifelong friends.

A service was held at Wildwood Cemetery in Amherst, MA on August 10. A celebration of life will be held on Monday, October 10 at 12 noon in the Paradise Room at the Smith College Conference Center at 49 College Lane, Northampton, MA. To share a remembrance or offer a condolence, please visit Douglass Funeral Service at douglassfuneral.com. Contributions may be made in Gloria’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association or a progressive charity of your choice.