Gloria POUPARD-WALBRIDGE Obituary

Dearest Sylvie & family, we only found out yesterday that your dear dear mother and the most wonderful friend to us passed away. We wondered why our last few texts had gone unanswered. We will never forget Gloria and her beloved Cotter House. We adored them both. Gloria was the most extraordinary host, friend and human being. The world has lost a great soul. Being in the Hotel industry ourselves we became very good friends with Gloria attending many events both at Cotter House and the hospitality industry. Just before Gloria moved to Wellington we had dinner together at our Hotel. That was the last time we saw her but have been texting ever since. We both agreed to catch up whenever each of us was in Auckland or Wellington. God bless and forever in our hearts and minds. Robert & Reg

Gloria, you were such an incredible woman. You were a Star in all meanings of the word, shining, bright, sparkling and stunning, the "Corredor brand".
We spent our last Christmas chatting together and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to share with you memories we never shared before.
You left us so suddenly..to join the Corredor Constellation but You will always be in our hearts.
All my love and tenderness to Sylvie and her beautiful Family.

Firstly, Ludy, Christian and I send our love and support to Sylvie, James, Jack, Alessandra, Thomas, Catherine, Johnathon and Nicholas at this time. We are so sorry we are unable to be with you at Gloria's service on Tuesday, but will be thinking of you all.

I first met Gloria in the 1990s on a fishing trip as our husbands at that time were good friends. As we headed out on the high seas towards White Island in search of Hapuka, my first impression of Gloria was that she was a darn good sport, very sociable and a go-getter. This fishing trip wasn't any old charter, it was fishing in style - the best of boats, the finest cuisine and a first class crew. This suited Gloria to a Tee and she was in her element. She was adaptable, fun, enthusiastic and she exuded that European panache - let's face it, Gloria could make a rain jacket covered in fish bait look glamorous! And she managed to haul in a few decent fish.

As our friendship grew over the following years I came to appreciate this multi-talented lady - an accomplished linguist, entrepreneur, business woman, academic, artist, perfectionist,creative soul, great chef, tour guide and, of course, hostess extraordinaire. She was a paragon of style and French chic, she had energy and enthusiasm to burn, and her talents and interests were numerous.

It was about the time of this fishing trip that Gloria moved from Howick to Remuera and fell under the charm of historic Cotter House. Cotter House was to be her 'perfect canvas' which she could adorn with glamour, her unique style and demonstrate her creative flair. She ensured the walls and ceilings of the house were intricately painted with infinite detail even down to the gilt work. While she displayed fine collections of antiques, silver and pieces of a by-gone era, she also had an eye for the inclusion of modern art and lashings of her impeccable European style. To Gloria the many paintings she collected and displayed were true art and she enjoyed being regularly included in the Auckland Art Trail. The garden at Cotter House was also a great source of enjoyment and pride for Gloria and she liked it to radiate her eye for detail, flair and perfection. Every thing was trimmed and topiaried within an inch of its life and string lines were installed along hedge lines so they were always cut with great precision. To Gloria's credit, everything had to be perfect and meet the standard of a five star establishment which it did in spades.

With the reality of running such a substantial property, Gloria's business acumen kicked in and she ran Cotter House as a deluxe Bed and Breakfast, a venue for weddings, music recitals, art shows, conferences, health retreats, high teas, book clubs, yoga and pilates classes and numerous other events. Whilst these time consuming enterprises provided her with business opportunities to make a living, she also always made time to show her 'generosity of spirit' and regularly opened her home for charity raising events such as house and garden tours. She could turn her hand to running just about anything. She hosted many elite guests at Cotter House which included the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards and his wife - it didn't surprise me that they arrived as Gloria's guests, they left her home as friends and they insisted on returning to see her on ensuing visits to N.Z. Over time she gathered a circle of trusted work colleagues that could cater, garden or maintain Cotter House with her. Whilst she expected a high standard from all her employees, she also rewarded them with high praise, gracious and sincere thanks and always a home-cooked lunch. From this she amassed many friends, many of which I know are sad they cannot be with you on Tuesday.

I learnt early on that the crazy and wonderful whirlwind of being Gloria's friend was never boring. Life for Gloria was always at high speed and I often likened her to a human dynamo or an ever-ready battery. She could talk fast, walk fast, garden at high speed, could cope with a dozen projects at once, and her grand plans and great ideas came thick and fast. At times she would drive me potty with her great ideas that would unknowingly include my input. We had many a debate on the best plan of attack for a project, but always agreed on a combination of ideas and a 'master plan' over a cup of Gloria's coffee. It was from these debates with her that I learnt to greatly appreciate Gloria's ability to think outside the square, to reach for a better solution, or create an opportunity where few would see an opportunity was possible. She would always make me laugh with one of her favorite sayings, "go big or go bust", and she would always provide inspiration for those around her to reach for perfection.

Two years ago Gloria decided to sell Cotter House and move to Wellington to be with her family and spend more time travelling. It was indeed a mammoth task trying to extract her from her home of 23 years and I think Sylvie and I lost count of all the moving trucks and garden urns of topiary. I know Gloria was thrilled this move would allow her to spend more time with her grandchildren and Sylvie and James, but I also know that when she left Auckland she left a little bit of her heart at Cotter House.

Life will be a lot duller without Gloria on this planet - she was an extraordinary woman and she has left a huge and unexpected void in many of our lives. I know Stuart, Yolande and I miss her dearly. We will always remember her unique, inimitable style, her vivacity, tenacity and energy, and the essence that made her a remarkable woman. She loved to surround herself with people and I know she would have been in her element if she was here among all her family and friends on Tuesday.

Lastly, I would like to leave you with this parting thought as we reflect on the life of a wonderful mother, lola and friend. The one thing I do know is that Gloria will have the 'after life' really sorted out for our arrival. It will be very well organised, stylish, glamorous and of course gilt-edged. It will have high standards, grand plans and great ideas. But most of all, Gloria will ensure it is welcoming, hospitable and loving. And it will have freshly brewed coffee and croissants waiting for us all.

So my friend I say farewell, the fabulous memories you have left us with will be dearly treasured.

Love and hugs, Gloria, love and hugs.

Wanda Mountfort.

Très Chère Gloria, quel départ précipité ! Vous étiez tellement impliquée au sein de la communauté française et d'organiser des rencontres de bienvenue pour les nouveaux/elles arrivant(e)s... ce fut un tel honneur pour moi lorsque vous avez si aimablement offert Cotter House pour la remise de ma Légion d'Honneur. Vous aviez aussi organisé un petit groupe de soutien pour ma fille handicapée lorsqu'elle s'est faite opérée à Middlemore. Votre vivacité, votre hospitalité, votre amitié nous manquerons beaucoup. Bon voyage là où vous êtes, et veillez sur nous. Avec ma plus profonde amitié et respect. Nadine

To Gloria, You were an amazing client, friend and Travel buddy. You taught me so much about wine (getting me out of my comfort zone from Savignon Blanc and being dearing). When we went to France to your fabulous apartment and met the rest of your family and had a dinner party you even got me to eat snails! At Cotter House there are many memories of the events we sponsored and the fabulous people we met. You even got me to go to the pilates and yoga classes in your fabulous ballroom.

Gloria was an amazing cook and was the greatest hostess I know. The French breakfasts were out of this world which I will miss.

Also, I do not know how Gloria managed to do all the things at Cotter House: fit in organising events, high teas, training overseas students and attending to her clientele and doing her bookwork, and maintaining the property. She use to ring me at about midnight on the day before she was due to head overseas and needed help with her GST or coding, apologising - I said not a problem and she could rest easy for the rest of her trip.

I would call Gloria a walking encyclopedia. She surprised many of the tour guides and people when we were travelling and including me of how much she knew about many different topics.

Gloria loved Museums and one day a couple of years back we went to visit my cousin in Vancouver and visit the sights, we were in a museum and I was tired and slipped down the wall and crouched on the floor. She said what are you doing? I said I was tired and I am all Museumed out. She said we only just started and there are a few more floors.

On our last trip in September - October 2019 we surprised Gloria with a VIP limousine pick up drop to the door service in Bangkok, she was speechless because we did not have to go through customs. Gloria was so funny because at every airport we went to she would organise a wheelchair and be first on the plane, while we were in the queue. But on the last trip she asked if her family could be with her, so we got on the plane with her (Even though we were not family).

Her dream was to go to Cambodia and we also went to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh to visit the temples and go on a cycle tour of the Mekong. Well, in Phnom Penh there is so much traffic and we started out and were following the tour guide and she freaked out, and said she did not want to get killed in Phnom Penh. The expression on her face of the photo I took (which is on my Leigh-Ann Powell facebook page, I posted last week) says it all. We asked the tour guide to organise her a Tuk Tuk and put the bike on the back if she desired to cycle in the less busy areas. She was so excited because she made the driver keep close to us to protect us - I called her the Queen royalty, while we had to do the hard yards on our bikes. (Also visit my facebook page and see the after photo of her smiling in the Tuk Tuk - priceless).

Gloria loved shopping (and so did I) and we had the same shoe size. When we travelled we would always bring back lovely shoes. On my recent trip in November 2019 I bought back a gorgeous pair of white shoes to give her, but sadly she is not here to receive them. I will give them to her daughter, Sylvie.

I will miss watching the rugby at your place in Wellington - even though you did not like Rugby you said you loved watching and hearing me yell at the TV.

When Gloria sold Cotter House we bought some beautfiul art and items from her. She showed us how to hang the art and got up on a ladder while we were holding it and displayed the art just like you see in an art gallery. We will have those memories of her every time we look at the paintings.

Also we took her to my new place that I am having built and Wayne had bought her a pair of colourful gumboots and she helped clear the front berm. She was looking forward to coming to stay and help choose plants and do some gardening. I will plant a gorgeous tree in memory of Gloria.

The last text I recieved from Gloria was on the 11th of January 2020 and she was discussing her future trip plans to Alaska, Kathmandu etc.

She said to me on our last trip that she had a bucket list of places she wanted to see and had a good 10 years to go. And since selling Cotter House another funny thing she would say is, "I am on a "Skiing" holiday, and I said what does that mean? She said: "I am spending the Kids inhertiance". You were such a special person who loved her family.

The only thing I say to Gloria is you certainly went out in style with no fuss, and left doing what you loved doing - travelling. You will always be in my heart and every time I travel I will toast you for unclipping my wings and opening my eyes.
Love you always Leigh-Ann xx

Gloria was an inspiration to me during the time we connected at Remuera Rotary. She was vivacious and gracious and welcomed the club into her home "Cotter House" for many functions. She shared her great love of art and music with us whenever she could. I enjoyed her desire to question life and to talk about the issues.
Thank you Gloria, for sharing some of your wonderful personality with us.

Gloria, thinking of you and your family with kind thoughts at this time. A woman of substance, it was a pleasure knowing you, dearly missed and never forgotten.

Kua hinga te totara i te wao nui a Tane
The totara has fallen in the forest of Tane
A totara is a huge tree that grows for hundreds of years. For one of them to fall is a great tragedy. This proverb is said when someone of importance passes away. The Totara is a native tree of New Zealand.

Me te mea ko Kp ka rere i te pae
(The beauty of a women is) like Kp (Venus) rising above the horizon.

We have all lost an absolute special gem. She was a friend and a mother to many and will be so sorely missed. Her excitement and flamboyance especially when entering womans shoe and clothing stores can never be replicated, even a child in a candy store would never exceed her. We will sincerely miss you Gloria, rest peacefully.

My condolences to Gloria's family. She was an amazing lady. So generous and full of stories. Great cook too. Only knew her for a short time