Gloria Jacqueline Drees

November 13, 1930 - August 22, 2023

“Jackie” McCoy was born on November 13, 1930 in Hamlin Texas. Jackie spent her first seven years on a cotton farm in West Texas with her parents and four older brothers. As the result of her parent’s break-up and eventual divorce, she and her mother relocated to Los Angeles, in 1937. She attended Los Angeles City Schools, graduating from John C. Fremont High School in 1948 as a member of the California Scholarship Federation.

She met the “love of her life, Bob Drees” in 1947 while on a blind date with Bob’s best friend, Kurt. At the time, Bob was dating Jackie’s best friend, Anne. After Bob and Anne broke up, Jackie and Bob became a couple.

On April 3, 1950, the two were married on the radio show “Bride & Groom”. Kurt was the best man and Anne was the matron of honor. They honeymooned on Catalina Island. Jackie and Bob welcomed daughter, Debbie Lynn, on August 27, 1953. Barry McCoy entered the picture on October 22, 1956.

As a child and later as an adult, she learned to play musical instruments including piano, accordion, organ, viola, cello, bass violin, guitar, ukelele and harmonica.

In 1948, Jackie’s first gig involved playing the electronic accordion with a Country/Western Girls Trio that took her to Anchorage, Alaska, for 3 months. Back in California, the trio secured a permanent job in Long Beach playing at “Hollywood on the Pike” six nights a week for 4 years. In 1952, she traveled to Fairbanks, Alaska with the same trio for 3 months. In the middle of these years, she and Bob were married in 1950. She retired from the trio, they bought a home and became parents.

While their kids were growing up, Jackie taught music in two Private Schools and later at home. She worked a gig for a year in 1964 playing the organ at “Ozzie’s Keg & Kettle” in City of Commerce.

From 1967 to 1972, she was employed as a secretary, illustrator, proof-reader and assistant to the president of Richardson Engineering Service in Downey.

Jackie served as president of the Price School Parents Club where she also was leader of the school chorus of 65 kids--a before-school volunteer event. She was president of Downey Toastmistress, president of Southeast District Lawyers Wives and three-time president of Wives of Los Angeles Police Officers (WOLAPO).

She dabbled in oil painting and completed four reproductions on canvas. An animal lover, she owned four dogs and five cats. But her passion was listening to music, especially songs that conjure up memories of days gone by. Her favorite movie was “Sound of Music”.

Her travels took her to all seven continents and, along with husband Bob, she traveled extensively throughout the world, keeping a detailed journal of their travels to faraway places.

Among those adventures, she kissed the Blarney Stone in Ireland, viewed New York City from a helicopter, climbed a pyramid outside of Mexico City, saw Paris from the Eiffel Tower, attended a bull fight in Spain, traversed the Panama Canal, dined at the Casbah in Morocco, crossed the dreaded Drake Passage on a small cruise ship, set foot on the continent of Antarctica, walked on a glacier in Canada, saw the Great Barrier Reef from an underwater submarine, viewed Hong Kong Harbor from Victoria Peak, flew over the island of Kauai in a helicopter, viewed the LA harbor from the Goodyear blimp, and panned gold in Alaska while living there. On her 70th birthday, Jackie made a tandem skydive from an altitude of 12,500 feet, accompanied by her son Barry, and a granddaughter, Mindy.

She and Bob, a retired police detective sergeant and court judge, bought their first home in Downey where they resided for 43 years. Their home for the past 28 years has been beside a lake in Yorba Linda, California.

Jackie is survived by Bob, her husband of 73 years, daughter Debbie Gordon and son Barry (Dub) Drees, grandchildren Mindy (Paul Desby), Doree (Shawn Quinn), Tyler (Shaina) Drees and Kyle Drees. And great grandchildren Raegan & Brielle Desby, Shea & Taya Quinn and Dani Drees. Also, sister-in-law, Phyllis McCoy.

Final resting place will be Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, California.