{"id":32529,"date":"2026-06-21T16:18:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T21:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/granitecitygossip.com\/?page_id=32529"},"modified":"2026-06-21T16:18:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T21:18:11","slug":"granite-city-native-passes-away-after-a-very-accomplished-life","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/granitecitygossip.com\/index.php\/granite-city-native-passes-away-after-a-very-accomplished-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Granite City Native Passes Away After a Very Accomplished Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Granite City Native Passes Away After a Very Accomplished Life<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

GraniteCityGossip.com, June 21, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Gloria Lucille (Caban) McCutcheon, a pioneering engineer and environmental advocate, passed away on June 11, 2026, in Brookfield, WI, at the age of 78.
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Born on July 18, 1947, in Granite City, IL, Gloria was the daughter of Paul Jr., a steelworker, and Lucille (Shable) Caban, a school secretary. She was Granite City High School\u2019s 1965 class valedictorian.
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Gloria studied Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of IL, Urbana-Champaign, earning B.S. (1969) and M.S (1970) degrees at a time when there were very few women in the engineering professions. While at the University of IL, she met graduate student William \u201cBill\u201d McCutcheon; they married in August 1969.
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In fall 1970, Gloria began her career with the WI Department of Natural Resources (DNR), where she became the first woman engineer hired by the agency. Starting as a plan reviewer in the sanitary treatment division in Madison, Gloria rose through the organization, following her passion for protecting the environment. In 1983 she moved to Milwaukee to become the Southeast Regional Director, a role she held for over 25 years until her retirement.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

Gloria was recognized for her accomplishments. She was named a WI Business Journal Woman of Influence for her work in public policy; received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for outstanding public service to the community from the U.S. House of Representatives; was honored among \u201cWomen Putting Their Stamp on Metro Milwaukee\u201d for her achievements in government service; and received the Izaak Walton League of America Chapter Award for her outstanding contributions to WI\u2019s natural resources. She was also named a Trailblazer by her alma mater, the University of IL, as one of the first female graduates of their Engineering College.
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Gloria\u2019s love of learning led her to the University of WI-Madison\u2019s Nelson Institute, earning her Ph.D. in Environmental Studies in 2014. Her doctoral research focused on infrastructure sustainability and environmental planning.

Gloria\u2019s smile and warmth made her a wonderful friend. She loved to travel and had friends whom she visited in England, Sweden, and India. She and Bill also explored Ireland, Wales, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, and Monaco with friends and family.
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Gloria and Bill made their home in Brookfield, WI, where they raised their family and where Gloria remained deeply connected to her church, community and civic life.
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She was a passionate volunteer and civic leader, guiding Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful and Friends of Lakeshore Park as a board member. She donated her time to the WE Energies Community Advisory Committee and the Menomonee Valley Partners\u2019 Environmental Committee. One of her favorite projects was the development of Lakeshore State Park in Milwaukee, including the visitor center and the award-winning pedestrian bridge.
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Gloria was a longtime member of the St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Brookfield, where she attended mass and volunteered with the Saint<\/a> Vincent de Paul Meal Program<\/a>. She shared her musical gift by playing clarinet with the music ministry of her parish and at Unity Lutheran Church in Brookfield.
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As a pioneering engineer, environmental steward, devoted wife and mother, accomplished scholar, musician and volunteer, Gloria leaves a legacy of leadership, service and love that will continue to inspire those who knew her.
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She is survived by her husband Bill and 2 daughters: pediatrician, Dr. Heather Paradis (Jeffrey) of Elm Grove, WI, and veterinarian, Dr. Rachel Sternberg (Adam) of Brookfield, WI. She is additionally survived by brother Paul Caban III and nephews Michael and Erik Caban all of Granite City, IL and seven grandchildren: Maddy, Frances, Henry, Hazel and Theo Paradis; and Eva and Liam Sternberg. She was preceded in death by her parents, Paul Jr. and Lucille (Shable) Caban and brother Jeffrey Caban (Donna).
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A celebration of life for Gloria will be held on Sunday, June 28, 2026, at Krause Funeral Home 21600 W Capitol Dr, Brookfield, WI 53072 from 12-3pm with a service to follow. Interment of ashes will occur in August at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Edwardsville, IL.
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In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Gloria\u2019s honor to Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful\/KGMB, 1313 W. Mt. Vernon Ave., Milwaukee,
WI 53233 or online at: www.kgmb.org\/donate<\/a>; or to the Friends of Lakeshore State Park, https:\/\/friendslsp.org\/get-involved\/donate\/<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-32529","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/granitecitygossip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/32529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/granitecitygossip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/granitecitygossip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granitecitygossip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granitecitygossip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32529"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/granitecitygossip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/32529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32533,"href":"https:\/\/granitecitygossip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/32529\/revisions\/32533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/granitecitygossip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}