George Lee Glass, 85, died October 13, 2020.
Longtime Wilmington resident George Lee Glass died at home after battling ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, for less than one year.
George was born in Fayetteville, West Virginia, the son of Charles Samuel Glass and Gertrude Ilene Pinson. He attended high school in Virginia before enlisting in the United States Army to serve in Korea. He achieved the rank of Sergeant First Class as a Paratrooper and Heavy Weapons Specialist.
George returned from service to live in Wilmington with his mother. While working at the Memorial Hospital he met Patricia Tompkins McKinley, an executive medical secretary, whom he married in 1959. They settled in Bellefonte to raise their three children.
George worked for the Bell System for 31 years in Wilmington, West Chester, and Philadelphia; first at Diamond State Telephone, then Bell of Pennsylvania, then Verizon. He was a volunteer with Junior Achievement of Delaware, an organization that fosters work-readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy skills to inspire students in the community to dream big and reach their potential. He was an Assistant Scoutmaster with Troop 99 continuing his service to the community as a much-needed adult role model providing an ideal learning environment for all youth. George also served as a town commissioner while living in Bellefonte.
As a younger man, George was an avid model airplane builder, spending countless hours designing, building, and flying with local friends. In 1972 he utilized the GI Bill to earn his private pilot’s license, flying recreationally. George and Patricia lived for 18 years in their home in Bellefonte before moving to Bellevue Manor in 1981 to continue raising their family. In his middle and later years, he enjoyed gardening and prided himself on his immaculate lawn, once the subject of a News Journal article on “Lawn Warriors”. They enjoyed traveling, making annual visits to their family in Virginia, West Virginia, California and Kansas, as well as to Mohonk Mountain House in upstate New York, a tradition begun by Patricia’s grandparents more than 100 years ago.
George’s retirement in 1989 allowed him to devote even more time to his hobbies. The home in Bellevue Manor has a full basement workshop where he enjoyed his passion for woodworking. Friends and family looked forward to the annual Christmas gifts of a “House of Glass Original”.
George was a member of Calvary Episcopal Church for over 60 years, serving in various capacities, including vestryman and usher.
George was preceded in death by his father, mother, sister, and nephew. He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Patricia McKinley Glass; children, Carl (Pamela), Laura Glazar, and James (Amy); grandchildren, Jessica Greenaway (Nathan), Alexis Stenn (Kevin), Jason Booth, Melissa Glazar, David Glazar, Tyler Glass, and Allison Glass; and great-grandsons, Grayson Greenaway and Oliver Stenn. He is also survived by his niece, Linda Spencer, her children, Adam and Kori, and her grandson Carter.
Services will be private. Interment will be at Newark Union Cemetery, Wilmington. The family suggests contributions to Calvary Episcopal Church Hillcrest, Delaware Hospice, or a charity of your choice.
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