Kent Glauser (1935-2017)

Naturalist, florist was  an avid athletics booster

11/25/2017

Kent Glauser, who spent decades chasing after wildflowers and supporting high school athletes, died Nov. 17 at his home in Northwood. He was 82.

His wife, Dolores Glauser, said she believes he died from heart complications.

“He was a wonderful husband, just delightful,” Mrs. Glauser said. “A very sharing and caring individual. He always liked to share his knowledge. It was music, nature, wildlife, birds, you name it.”

Mr. Glauser was born June 7, 1935, in Toledo, to John and Florence Glauser. He graduated from Waite High School in 1953, and married his wife Jan. 25, 1958.

Mr. Glauser was an only child and never had children of his own. However, he and his wife became major supporters of area student-athletes.

The couple started watching athletes from DeVilbiss, St. John’s, and Start high schools 40 years ago. Living near the Oregon district, they became fans of the teams at Clay High School, and eventually became super boosters in the athletic department.

Mr. Glauser frequently walked to Pearson Metropark in Oregon to watch cross country practice, where he got to know the coach.

“The kids dearly loved him,” Mrs. Glauser said. “They’d run up to him and give him a big hug. He wouldn’t just talk about their running; he always wanted to know how they were doing with their academics. Kids appreciate other people besides their parents who pay attention to them, maybe even more so.”

Mr. Glauser wore hats signed by team members of different sports. His wife said students who spotted him at games and events would often line up to add their names.

The couple was honored by Clay for their 50th anniversary, as several students marched across the basketball court holding a banner before a boy’s game.

Flowers were another of Mr. Glauser’s passions. He graduated from the American Floral Art School in Chicago as a floral designer, and was the president and manager at Glausers Flowers flower shop and greenhouse in the 1970s.

An avid outdoorsman, Mr. Glauser was involved with several nature organizations. He was named the Toledo Naturalists’ Association’s Naturalist of the Year in 1997.

Mr. Glauser led several wildflower “Big Days,” identifying as many species as possible. An expedition in August, 1990, led to finding 225 kinds.

“He would start out before sunrise,” Mrs. Glauser said. “He took a fella out one year and the wife called me and said, ‘Dolores, Bob’s not home yet.’ They would cover a radius of 100 miles, so that’s going into Michigan and they would be out until after dark. She must have called three times that day. She thought her husband got lost.”

Mrs. Glauser accompanied her husband on many excursions, including birding in Canada, hiking in the southwestern United States, and canoeing closer to home.

Visitation is Sunday from 2-8 p.m. and Monday from 9:30-11 a.m. at Eggleston Meinert & Pavley Funeral Home, Oregon Chapel, 440 South Coy Road, in Oregon. The funeral service will be held there Monday at 11 a.m.

Contact Jay Skebba at jskebba@theblade.com, 419-376-9414, or on Twitter @JaySkebbaBlade.