Former NHS Teacher Don Glancy Passed Away

Nobel Laureate John Stein­beck once commented, “I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great a r t i s t and tha t there are as few as there are any other great artists.

Teaching might even be the great­est of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.” Over the last few months, countless letters, e-mails, In­ternet postings, and calls of thanks and support poured in from the former students of one such teacher, Donald Charles Glancy, as he battled cancer. On June 28, 2009, Don­ald passed away, but his legacy of intellectual and artistic ex­ploration lives on in the minds and spirits of his students and family.

Tenth of thirteen children of, Joseph Boyd Glancy and Millie Wagner Glancy, Donald was born in Liggett, Harlan County, KY on October 4, 1935. He attended Harlan County schools but moved with the family in 1951 to Michigan where he attended Romulus High School. He left to join the United States Marine Corps in 1953, trained in San Diego, and served with the Third Battal­ion, Platoon 292, in the Korean Conflict. Honorably dis­charged from the Marine Corps in August, 1956, Donald re­turned to attend theUniversity of Michigan, where he majored in English language and litera­ture, minored in Italian, and graduated with a BA in 1960. He continued graduate studies at the University of Michigan and Wayne State University to earn a Master's degree in Eng­lish. He taught initially at Roseville High School and later at Grosse Point High School in Michigan. Several inspired stu­dents from those days and many since remained in con­tact with him until his death.

Married to Karen Jannes Hoagland in 1956, Don, Karen, and their four children, Katy, Tom, Jenifer, and John, moved to Naples FL, in 1968. Donald began teaching English at Naples High School, intro­duced Advanced Placement English Literature into the cur­riculum, sponsored many clubs and organizations over the years, coached baseball, and served as department chair­man.

During summers he worked as a free-lance writer and edit­or and, among other endeavors, helped edit The PGA, Herb Graffis's Official History of the Professional Golfers' Associa­tion of America published in 1975. Herb wrote, “To Don Glancy, whose brains, eyes, and heart sure helped me get this book into print. Many thanks.” Through the years, Don maintained his interest and love of the game.

In 1982, Don married Janet Claire Bagg Freisenbruch, who still teaches at Naples High School; helped raise her son Christopher and their son, Joseph, born in 1984; and fos­tered loving bonds among all his children. Don retired in 1988 after a long career in edu­cation, including twenty years at Naples High School, and be­came a realtor with Coldwell Banker McFadden Sprowls, where he worked for fourteen years before retiring a second time. Later, finding retirement boring but vowing never to work inside again, he moved to his “dream job” at Wilderness Country Club where he en­joyed working with the pros and members, playing golf, and studying the flora and fauna that abound in the club's natu­rally preserved areas.

Donald retired a third time when his heroic battle with cancer escalated.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Arley, Robert Lynn, Joseph Boyd Jr., Ernest, Franklin, and Carl; and sisters, Dorothy, Loui se, Lavonia, and Doris.

He is survived by his youn­ger brothers, Ronald and George; numerous in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews; Karen Glancy and her compan­ion John O'Donnell of Gaines­ville; children, Kathryn Mirjam of Stark, FL, Thomas Patrick and his wife Deborah of River­view, FL, John Clifford and his wife Tracy of Greenville, SC, Jenifer Louise Madson and her husband Leslie of Erie, CO, Christopher Hugh Freisen­bruch and his wife Ruth of Vir­ginia Beach, VA, and Joseph Boyd Glancy III of Naples, FL; six grandchildren, Callum Mi­chael and Aiden Charles Glan­cy, Erin Taylor and Logan Hunter Bishop, Evan James and Lauren Elizabeth Freisenbruch; and Janet his devoted, loving wife of twenty-six years.

The Beachwood Society planned the interment, but no services will be held at this time.

A memorial celebration of Donald's life is planned for this winter when family and friends will be able to gather from around the country and abroad to share memories of his sharp wit, humor, love of music, com­passion, and intellectual ener­gy.

The family is grateful for countless gifts of kindness, flowers, e-mails, letters, and calls received, and to Avow Hospice for their compassion­ate care.

In lieu of flowers, friends who wish to make a donation in Donald's memory may do so to Avow Hospice of Naples, the Education Foundation of Collier County, or the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tam­pa.