A Wonderful Life

By Judi Hindes, Masonic Village at Sewickley resident

On his honeymoon, Mike Glenn and his wife, Cordelia, came close to having the shortest marriage ever. On the second day, he heard a child screaming for help in the ocean and, although he was not a good swimmer, he felt he had to try and rescue this youngster. He managed to calm the child down enough to get him back to the shore and to his relieved brand new bride!

An unassuming gentleman, in spite of his phenomenal success as a businessman, Mike quietly shared that he studied business and corporate law in college, which served him well as he ran an oil products distributing company. His financial gains made it possible for him to support a number of charities throughout his life. When asked what contributed to his success, his reply was he simply followed the Golden Rule.

Perhaps also contributing to his successful career, Mike remembers his parents’ advice: “Keep your word!” He has heeded that advice to this very day.

Next, Mike invested in real estate development, which included building and operating a 100-suite hotel for 10 years in Charlotte, NC.

Being involved with a major hotel was very fulfilling, but Mike thought back to when a church booked the entire hotel for a full week. How was he to know that when they left, they would take every single item that wasn’t nailed down! Even the microwaves, which weren’t actually “nailed down,” vanished, too. If that wasn’t bad enough, this same church had the nerve to try and book again the following year.

The Glenns, unable to have children, happily adopted three infants. Fifteen years later — as the biggest surprise ever — Cordelia gave birth to a child. To Mike’s delight, all four currently live nearby.

Mike’s single greatest accomplishment was being instrumental in starting a non-denominational church, Orchard Hill.

His business came, did well and was sold, ultimately helping to provide the funds to start this church. He and Cordelia invested time, energy and resources as they watched what started out as a dream, develop into a congregation of thousands, requiring 14 services just for Christmas alone. This was amazing growth from the original congregation of 100, which has not only continued to prosper and grow for over 30 years, but now has two satellite churches: one in the Strip District and the other in Butler.

As if that wasn’t enough to keep Mike busy, he served on the following: Quaker Valley School Board for two years, Sewickley Borough Council for 10 years and Sewickley Water Authority for five years. Additionally, Cordelia served on the Quaker Valley School Board for eight years.

The Glenns were world travelers. On their way to Tahiti, Mike recalls the airline ran out of alcohol. As he lamented this fact, a nearby passenger offered him anything he wanted from a vast array of miniature bottles he’d been stashing away. The two became instant friends.

He has other fond memories of his life outside the office.

Once an avid golfer, Mike still smiles as he remembers getting two holes in one.

Mike moved to Masonic Village at Sewickley because Cordelia developed dementia, and he knew she would be well cared for. He was not disappointed.

Upon moving to Masonic Village, Mike was most impressed when someone from the maintenance staff not only hung their prints, but also re-hung the refrigerator door correctly — a typical example of employees who are flexible, capable and willing.

There's no question about what Mike most enjoys at Masonic Village. He looks forward to time at the Pub, where his buddies gather nightly and are greeted by the bartender, who knows exactly what they want without taking their order. Does anyone remember the TV show “Cheers?”