Jerry Philip Glanzer
May 14, 1954 - September 8, 2012
Last week I attended an especially moving memorial services, one in memory of Jerry Philip Glanzer, age 52, held at the Zion Mennonite Church where I served as pastor from 1965 to 1988. Jerry was a quiet and faithful member of that congregation for many years, and was described at his funeral by Pleasant View Home Chaplain David Gullman as a special kind of “Christian mystic,” one who knew and loved God in a way many of us seem incapable of. As a young man he wept with joy at his baptism and his face lit up with delight at each celebration of the Lord’s Supper.
But Jerry left another legacy. He should be remembered as the impetus for founding of at least three institutions to benefit the disabled, Indian Creek Foundation of Souderton, Pennsylvania, the Arc of Harrisonburg and Rockingham, also known as the Op Shop, and the early beginnings of what is now Friendship Industries of Harrisonburg.
Of course we could say that it was really his father, educator and pastor Paul J. Glanzer, who was a key pioneer in helping develop these enterprises. But without Jerry, who joined his Huron, South Dakota, family on May 14, 1954, then made up of Paul and Lola Bowers and their sons David, James and Dennis, this may never have happened.
In the absence of programs for his special needs son, Paul worked tirelessly with others to provide education and training for the disabled, starting with a small class of students in North Dakota, and then worked to develop programs for Jerry and others in eastern Pennsylvania and in the Shenandoah Valley, where the family eventually settled.
Here are the three institutions named, with a link to their respective websites. Jerry would want us to support them.
Indian Creek Foundation
420 Cowpath Road
Souderton, PA 18964
267-203-1500
http://www.indiancreek.org/
The Arc of Harrisonburg and Rockingham
620 Simms Avenue
Harrisonburg, VA 22802
540.437.9214
http://www.hrarc.org/
Friendship Industries
801 Friendship Drive
Harrisonburg, VA 22802
540-434-9586
http://friendship-industries.com
Jerry's next older brother Dennis wrote me the following and suggested I post it for him:
ReplyDeleteJim forwarded to me your email with the link to your blog in which you wrote about Jerry. I greatly enjoyed reading that, and thank you for your perspective on my "little" brother! Your comments are really on point (and welcomed!) from our family's perspective. Sometimes when I contemplated the few points of Jerry's life and legacy that I talked about at his memorial service, I wondered if I had focused too much on what my Dad and Mom had accomplished with and for Jerry. Your blog helped me see the obvious - duh! - that these were in reality Jerry's accomplishments! You are right about Jerry's impact, and not only in the areas of services and opportunities for developmentally "disabled" (will we ever in all our "wisdom" ever come up with a term that is not in some way pejorative?!) individuals, but also from a personal and family perspective.
It is truly hard to imagine what my life and my family's life would have been without Jerry. Each of us other 3 brothers each have had our own accomplishments in life, whether in sports, academics or whatever, but I believe that all of us were able to keep our personal accomplishments in perspective and remain humble ("keep our feet on the ground") because of Jerry. After all, comparing what Jerry started out with to what he was able to do in his life, his accomplishments are greater than ours. At least, I always question whether I have truly been a good steward of the abilities that God gave to me, and compared to Jerry, I think I have come up short.
Jerry will continue to be both an inspiration and a challenge to me as I continue and complete my life's journey. I have much to learn and much to grow yet. In his meditation at Jerry's memorial, Dave Gullman mentioned Jerry's two speeds - "slow" and "slower." Actually, through the middle part of his life, Jerry also had a very active (if not fast) speed. But Jerry taught me and others the value in being "slow," which is really more akin to the teaching of the verse, "Be still and know that I am God." For me, I feel that my life has not included enough of being "still." If I were "still" more often, perhaps I could accomplish more, like Jerry, for just one example, in the areas of empathy and compassion for others. It was amazing and unexpected to me (and the rest of my family, I believe) to hear the testimony of others at Jerry's memorial that even (or especially) in his "slower" years, and in his seemingly "inactive" times, he had the mystic ability to spontaneously reach out and touch others in their hearts and souls, and to provide hope and encouragement! You mean Jerry could do that?! How often have I done that? I have much to learn and much to grow, and with Jerry still with me, much to be thankful for.
So, thanks Harvey, for helping me understand a bit more what Jerry's accomplishments were, for me, my family and everyone who knew him. And it's great that you included the website links to the organizations which Jerry helped develop and which continue to provide hope and opportunity to many others like Jerry. They deserve and need our continued support.
And to Jerry: I'll see you at the morning's light!
Jerry's challenged brother, Dennis