Glass, Jenny

"Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy 
for getting there; they cause change. They motivate and inspire 
others to go in the right direction and they, along with everyone 
else, sacrifice to get there." - John Kotter. There are many 
people who have the want and desire to truly change things and 
make a difference. To make vast improvements in the world, or 
community they live. And there are many people who devote tireless 
hours to their careers and civic service to accomplish this. Jenny 
Glass did make changes and did accomplish improvements in the 
communities she lived in, because she possessed the determination 
and passion that drove her to bring the changes she fought and 
worked for, to fruition. She carried a torch for numerous causes. 
Jenny was born September 18, 1935, in Hayti, Mo. She graduated from 
Hayti High School with a tight-knit graduating class of 25. She met 
her soulmate and later to be husband of nearly 50 years, Ron Glass, 
in Hayti, Mo., when they were only in the third grade. From 1959-1972, 
Jenny and Ron lived in Huntsville, Ala., where they raised their four 
children. Jenny was always a working mom Ð at AMF, Alabama Attorney 
General's office, and Huntsville's Sky Center. Ron and Jenny moved to 
Longview in 1972, where she began her tenure with the American Heart 
Association (AHA). What was a job to most, became a tremendous, 
passionate part of Jenny's life. She made great strides in her 28 
years of service to the AHA, helping to further their mission in 
research and education. The Jenny Glass Tribute Award for career 
service was created in 2004 by the AHA due to the impact of Jenny's 
lifetime of service. Jenny helped bring significant change and 
improvements to Longview. She served and worked at the forefront of 
the committee which brought the 911 emergency communications to 
Longview. She was a dedicated member of Longview's service 
organization, Zonta Club, and was awarded the Zonta Club's Women of 
Achievement award. Jenny also received the Longview Regional Medical 
Center's Stars Over Longview award for her cardio-pulmonary 
resuscitation instruction to schools, and for providing heart 
defibrillators for emergency responders. Jenny most recently worked 
on the Greater Hospice of Texas Foundation to raise funds for 
Margaret's House. Away from the office, campaigning, and serving, 
Jenny was quite the character to be around a "ball of fire" some 
would say. She was sharp, and fun to be with, yet opinionated and 
willing to share that as well. Her relationships with others were 
ardent. She possessed a sweet demeanor and genuine regard for others. 
She loved joking and spending time with her friends, of which she had 
been blessed immensely. She would tell you, "If you have friends you 
can pray with and play with, then you are truly blessed, and I am 
blessed many times over." She enjoyed playing cards, playing Mexican 
Train, and mainly, just visiting with her friends. Of Jenny's manifest 
of service, civic, and career accomplishments throughout her life, she 
considered her greatest accomplishment her family. Her mother, who she 
was inexpressibly proud of and whom she admired most, instilled in her 
matriarchal attributes, as well as her selflessness and service to 
others. Her soulmate, husband Ron, was her life partner who she adored. 
She was most proud of her children and grandchildren, and their own 
accomplishments, and held these higher than any award or tribute she'd 
ever earned. Nothing came before her family, and nothing was more 
important than the closeness they shared. Jenny will be painfully missed 
by her family, her friends, previous colleagues, and acquaintances, but 
the impact she has left on each of us will serve as a reminder of her 
love, passion, and dedication to all. Jenny was preceded in death by her 
loving husband, Ron; mother, Claudia Clark; and brothers, Ralph and 
Russell Craig. Jenny is survived by her sister, Margie Horn of Crete, 
Ill.; brother, William P. Craig of Huntsville, Ala.; son, Ron P. Glass 
and partner, William Detty of Kerrville; daughter and son-in-law, Rhonda 
Bullard of Clear Lake and Rod Bullard Jr. of Longview; daughter and 
son-in-law, Kathy and Joey Catalano of Beaumont; daughter, Robin Glass 
of Atlanta, Ga.; granddaughter, Ashley Green and husband, Philip; 
grandsons, Cade Bullard of Denton, and Chase Bullard of Lubbock; 
great-granddaughter, Dylan Green, all of Longview; and many nephews and 
nieces. Services will be held 10 a.m. Wednesday, December 20, 2006, at 
First Baptist Church, followed by service at Rosewood Park Mausoleum. 
The family requests, in lieu of flowers, meorial contributions be made 
to the American Heart Association. Please contact them at www.heart.org 
or 903-323-8800. The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. this 
evening, December 19, 2006, at Rader Funeral Home. A memorial guestbook 
may be signed online at www.raderfh.com.

Published in the Longview News-Journal on 12/19/2006.