Loretta Joyce "Glover" Ford

Loretta Joyce Ford, affectionately known as "Rett," was born in Mansfield, Ohio, on May 16, 1937, to Herman and Lelia Glover. She was the 15th of 21 children. She passed peacefully on March 10, 2026, surrounded by her children and grandchildren at Hospice of Northwest Ohio.

Loretta graduated from Jesup W. Scott High School, later earning her GED and an Associate's Degree from Stautzenberger College in 1997. She married the love of her life, Rollie E. Ford Sr., on July 1, 1995, and together they raised eight children: Kelsey, Linda, Rollie Jr., Sam, Dennis, Denise, Deborah, and Darlene.

A woman of deep faith, Loretta accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior in 1971 and became a devoted member of New Life COGIC under the leadership of Bishop Edward T. Cook. She served faithfully in Missions, the Hospitality Team, as an Usher, in the Kitchen Ministry, and in Youth Ministry. She spent much of her life as a caregiver, working as a housekeeper at the Hillcrest Hotel while her children were young, and later as a Home Health Aide and Phlebotomist until her retirement in 2005.

Loretta cherished her family and friends above all else. She was the neighborhood mom who loved, prayed for, and kept track of every child in every community she lived in, maintaining handwritten lists of birthdays, phone numbers, and addresses so she could call and check on them. She found joy in hosting family gatherings, where her turkey and dressing was always a highlight, and in simple pleasures like shopping at the Dollar Tree, watching Steve Harvey and The Price is Right, or cheering for her beloved Lakers.

She was preceded in death by her parents, 18 siblings, her husband Rollie Ford Sr., son Rollie Ford Jr., and sons-in-law Ulysses Howard, Michael Bond, and Donald Saxon Sr. She leaves to cherish her memory her children Kelsey (Callie) Glover Sr., Linda Howard, Sam Ford, Dennis (Carla) Ford, Denise Ford Saxon, Deborah (Antwon) Johnson, and Darlene Ford Bond; her sister Geraldine (Robert) Peacock; her brother Mose (Sharon) Glover; 23 grandchildren, 66 great-grandchildren, 35 great-great-grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends.