Gloria Rae (Ratz) McDonald

Gloria Rae (Ratz) McDonald, 90, took her final bows on the stage of life on August 27, 2024, in the presence of her daughters and extended family members. Her passing was peaceful.

Born in Saint Louis, Missouri on October 17, 1933 to Teresa (Ryan) Ratz and Raymond J. Ratz, she was a bright, engaging and energetic child who found an outlet in children’s theater, with notable success leading productions of the respected Peter Pan Players in St. Louis.

She was an alumna of Harris Teachers College in St. Louis, and completed her Bachelor’s of Science in Education in 1955 from Central Missouri State University. She married David George McDonald soon after her graduation, and daughters Ellen and Claire joined the growing family. 

Knowing she belonged on the stage, she successfully pursued a Masters’ Degree in Speech and Dramatic Arts at the University of Missouri, Columbia. There, Gloria took a leading role among the creative corps in the theater program, graduating at the top of her class. To great acclaim, she performed the leading role of Queen Elizabeth in Mary Stuart in 1966 at the University Theatre. 

While directing plays and teaching theater at a string of colleges in the early 1970s, Gloria would become a single mother, a challenge she met with optimism and a resolve that earned deep respect from her daughters. 

Gloria began teaching in the School District of Clayton, Missouri, in 1972. First at Meramec, then at Glenridge Elementary, she would spend the next 18 years teaching fifth- and sixth- graders in one of Missouri’s most respected public school districts.

Retiring from the Clayton District in 1990, she moved to Europe and launched a second academic career in Germany, teaching the children of U.S. Army service personnel at the Army base in Würzburg, Germany. An entertaining and popular teacher, she applied her theatrical skills to engage a generation of students, many of whom remember her lessons to this day. 

While living in Germany, she pursued her passion for travel, taking advantage of her proximity to Europe’s fascinating cities. A map where she recorded those travels was well-marked by hundreds of trips to sites large and small all over the continent, and throughout England, Scotland and Ireland. Gloria’s wanderlust was not satisfied by the great cities of Europe, and she also traveled to Kenya, Morocco, Egypt, India and China. 

Gloria McDonald never met a stranger along the way. Comfortable engaging those around her, she would build friendships on a tour bus in Scotland, in the next seat in a West End theater, or in line at the grocery store.

Returning home to Affton, Missouri in 1996, she enjoyed her days collecting antiques, attending writing classes and cultivating her skills in poetry, and venturing out with her Red Hat Society friends.

Gloria McDonald was a dedicated friend and pen-pal, corresponding with fellow teachers and administrators from past schools, theater colleagues, friends of her daughters’, neighbors from her home in Affton, and more. Newspaper clippings, a poem she had written, and St. Patrick’s Day, anniversary, birthday, and Christmas cards would stream from her mailbox to distant destinations, always sharing an optimistic note in the face of challenges, and always celebrating life.

Gloria is survived by her daughters, Ellen Rae McDonald (David Buck), and Claire Louise McDonald (Gary Overholt), her grandchildren, Ember Whitney Buck, Ryan James Buck, Zoe Rae Overholt and Benjamin Lee Overholt. Gloria is also survived by her great-grandchildren Solen Helena Buck, Luca Crane Buck-Bevensee, and Marlow Katerina Buck.

The family would like to request contributions in Gloria McDonald’s name to The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (call 314-687-4030), and your attendance and support of local theater.

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