Patricia King Glasgow

Patricia (Pat) King Glasgow, age 98, was born in Dayton, Ohio and spent her formative years learning to tap dance, play the piano, basking in the adoration of her parents. She enrolled in Ohio Wesleyan University, helping charter a new chapter of Alpha Xi Delta Sorority, Alpha Mu, serving as President. She later transferred to Indiana University, where she was active in campus life and her sorority. Upon graduation, she worked as a buyer for Rikes Department Store in Dayton, Ohio and often modeled the latest fashions for the store.

It was at Wright Patterson Air Force Base that she met Lt. Colonel Glenn Glasgow, whom she married in 1950. In 1952, their daughter Kathy was born, and Glenn’s career took them to La Jolla, California, a place Pat always called her favorite. Four more children followed, as well as moves to Denver, CO and Bettendorf, IA before the family settled in Nashville, TN to be closer to Glenn’s family.

Pat threw herself into raising children and volunteer work in Nashville, serving as a docent at the Governor’s Mansion. Her “Therapy Group” of five very special friends met to discuss books, cooking, challenges with raising kids, sprinkling each “meeting” with lots of laughter and fun.

Pat and Glenn moved to Tampa, FL in 1979 and at age 62, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Pat became a volunteer with the American Cancer Society’s Reach to Recovery program, through which she counselled hundreds if not thousands, of women throughout the next decade. She was the finest example of survivorship and “found her voice” through her diagnosis, touching the lives of so many women in Tampa and across the state. Pat chaired the Reach to Recovery program in Tampa, receiving numerous awards for her service. She served on the Board of Directors and as the Reach To Recovery Coordinator for all Southwest Florida, training volunteers on how to help other women through their breast cancer journey. Her tender yet realistic approach gave women hope they too could survive – and thrive. In 1998, she was presented the American Cancer Society Florida Division’s Terese Lasser Award, the highest honor for volunteers within the Reach to Recovery Program. She also served as the models’ coordinator in the Reach to Recovery Fashion Show and often modeled herself. Pat would forever remind any woman she met to get a mammogram. She was the consummate listener and was always more interested in learning about other people’s lives than talking about herself.

In 2008, she moved to South Tampa and quickly got involved in volunteering with The Tampa Women’s Club and LifePath Treasures Thrift Store, holding down the Saturday shift every week. An avid bridge player, she enjoyed the mental – and social – part of the game with friends and neighbors. She was a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan until the end, and everyone knew not to phone her during games! She was interested in all types of sports, from soccer to car racing, baseball to hockey. Holidays were her favorite, always bringing fun with silly gag gifts for her children.

Pat is survived by her children, Kathy (Luis) Miami, FL; Karen (Yves) Paris, France; Craig, Tampa, FL; Kristen (Bill) Atlanta and Scott (Merry) Dunedin, FL. No service was held at the request of the deceased.