Elva Douglass Glancy

Elva Glancy was a lovely lady - an optimistic, supportive and loving person throughout her long life. Her favorite expression in any situation was “Do the best you can.” Elva was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Walter P. Glancy, who passed away in May 2003, and by her granddaughter, Jill Glancy, who passed away in March 2006. Elva is survived by her children W. John Glancy of Dallas, and Dorothy Glancy Anderson and husband Jon, of San Francisco, her grandson Gregory Glancy, who lives in Dallas, and several nieces and nephews.

Elva was the youngest child of Walter Lewis Douglass and Dora Bell Epperson Douglass and had four older brothers and sisters. After her parents divorced when she was a small child, Elva grew up in Lawrence, Kansas, living with her mother who owned and operated a boarding house for young men attending the University of Kansas. She graduated from high school in Lawrence in 1931 and attended the University of Kansas. After graduating from the University of Kansas in 1935, she worked as a secondary school teacher in Mahaska, Waterville and finally Shawnee Mission, Kansas, where she concluded her full-time teaching career in the spring of 1941.

Elva met her husband-to-be, Walter Glancy, while he was attending the University of Kansas in the late 1930s. Elva and Walter were married in Lawrence in June 1941 and began their life together in Los Angeles, California, where Walter was working as an engineer for Lockheed Aircraft. While in California, Walter and Elva were blessed with the birth of two children, Walter John in 1942 and Dorothy Jean in 1944. After World War II ended, the family moved back to Lawrence, Kansas for a year. Dallas, Texas became their home town in 1948, and, except for several years in the 1960s, Elva and Walter lived in Dallas for the rest of their long lives. Elva ran the Glancy home with a light and loving touch that created a wonderful, affirming environment for her children to grow up in. Attending Park Cities Baptist Church was a big part of family life. Elva also participated as a Rotary wife in Walter’s Rotary Club. She took an active part in the Parent Teacher Associations at the children’s schools, and served for a year as president of the Hillcrest High School PTA. During these years, she also found time to be a substitute teacher in several Dallas public schools.

In the 1960s, Elva and Walter moved first to Syracuse, New York and then to Oklahoma City before returning to Dallas in 1967. After their return to Dallas, Elva acted as secretary and bookkeeper for Walter’s businesses for almost 30 years. Park Cities Baptist Church was an important part of their life together, especially the church choir where she and Walter sang for many years. Elva and Walter liked to travel and took a number of trips to Europe and Asia, including tours with the church choir. They enjoyed playing bridge and square dancing with their friends. Elva also found time to pursue several hobbies, most notably painting ceramics – her beautiful creations are some of her children’s most treasured possessions. Above all, Elva lived her long life as a joyful Christian, seeing the bright side of all that happened and encouraging all those around her.

In her later years in Dallas, Elva lived in several assisted living facilities in Dallas before finally moving to Walnut Place, where she celebrated her 100th and subsequent birthdays. Elva and her family have been blessed by the assistance she received from all those who lovingly helped her as she came to require more and more care toward the close of her long life.

A memorial service to celebrate Elva’s life will be held in Ellis Chapel at Park Cities Baptist Church, 3933 Northwest Parkway, Dallas, Texas, at 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning, November 11, with a reception at the Church following the service. Gifts in Elva’s memory may be made to Park Cities Baptist Church.