Robert Leavitt Glass

The Reverend Robert L. (Bob) Glass was born on September 14, 1925 and passed away February 18, 2024. He was a beloved son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, and partner. Bob will be remembered for his faith, his compassion for others, and his daily gratitude for life.

His parents were Beulah Leavitt and Dorse Lorenzo Glass, and he was born in the family farmhouse on U.S. 31 in Tipton County, Indiana. Bob graduated from Alexandria High School in 1943 and at age 17 entered the V-12 program of the U.S. Navy to train deck officers during World War II. He completed two years of coursework at the University of Notre Dame and in 1945 was assigned to a Landing Ship Tank (LST) in Shanghai, China, with the mission of ferrying Nationalist Chinese soldiers to fight the Communists in Manchuria and repatriating defeated Japanese soldiers to Japan. Upon honorable discharge from the Navy, Bob completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in history at Indiana University and graduated in 1949. He then entered Drew Theological Seminary in Madison, New Jersey, from which he received a Master of Divinity degree in 1952. In 1950, Bob married Marjory (Margie) Brown of Indianapolis, and the couple spent 55 years together and raised five children. Always interested in the educational side of ministry, Bob obtained a Master’s degree in Christian Education in 1955 from Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University in New York City.

His first pastoral assignment after seminary was to the Methodist congregations of Maybrook and Montgomery, New York. He served briefly as Joint Youth Program Director for the Federated Churches of West Lafayette, Indiana and then as Associate Pastor at Central Methodist Church in Evansville between 1957 and 1962 and at First Methodist Church in Fort Wayne from 1962 to 1965. In 1965, he was appointed Executive Secretary of Education and Camping for the North Indiana Conference of the Methodist Church and served until 1969. In that position, he was charged with designing and overseeing training programs in Sunday School and adult education for churches in the conference and managing the camping programs at Epworth Forest Retreat and Conference Center, North Webster, Indiana. He, Margie, and the family lived at Epworth Forest during the summers of that period, and he taught his children—Jim, Kathy, Jon, Jeff, and Bonnie-- to surfboard and water ski. In 1971 he was appointed Pastor of Whiting United Methodist Church in Whiting, Indiana and served there until 1978. He led the successful merger of two congregations and helped organize ecumenical efforts to provide bus service for parishioners from many denominations to attend their church services. He also helped organize a Meals on Wheels program in Whiting and served as President of the Whiting-Robertsdale Kiwanis Club.

In 1978 he was appointed Senior Pastor of Simpson United Methodist Church in Fort Wayne, where he served until retirement in 1990. At Simpson, Bob led a successful effort to maintain and add to the membership of an urban congregation while embarking on many new ministries. Among his achievements was adding a second worship service, connecting church members with a pastoral counseling service, and starting a Retreat in Motion bus ministry. He also collaborated with others on creating Project Renew, which stimulated the rehabilitation of housing stock and construction of new affordable housing in the near-Southside of Fort Wayne. Bob served as president of the effort. While at Simpson, Bob and Margie led church groups that traveled to Israel and Egypt, Greece and Turkey, Austria and Germany, Russia and Scandinavia, and China.

In retirement, one of Bob’s top priorities was his family. He took a deep interest in his children and grandchildren, who have valued his loving support and engagement in their lives.

In the 1990s, Bob served as President of Friends and Alumni of Epworth Forest, which provided volunteer labor and raised funds to rehabilitate the Epworth Forest Hotel. After Margie’s passing in 2005, Bob moved in 2009 to Robin Run Village in Indianapolis, where he helped found a Kiwanis chapter and served as the first president and program chair. He also helped organize a Green Team, to expand recycling and composting, which he chaired for 10 years. In 2012 he married Margaret Pengilly, and they shared seven years of companionship. In 2019 he met Jean Smith, who has been a devoted partner ever since.

To the end, Bob remained always curious about people and how he could contribute to making the world a better place for all people.

Bob is survived by Jean Smith and four children—Jim, Kathy Ehret (Sam), Jeff (Sue), and Bonnie MacDonald. One child, Jon, predeceased him. He is also survived by eleven grandchildren: Colin (Veronica) and Tyler Ehret, and Shannon (Cameron) Werner; Sarah Glass and Jacob (Merry) Glass; Kelly (Daniel) Wood, Andrew, and Matthew (Kristen) Glass; and Katelyn, Alex, and Patrick MacDonald and four great-grandchildren: Joshua Luther, Dominic Glass, Jeremy Wood, and Vivian Werner. He is also survived by his brother, George; sister, Irma Robey; and by many nephews and nieces.

A celebration of life service will be held at North United Methodist Church on March 2 at 11:30 A.M. Visitation will begin at 10:30. The service will be livestreamed at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIX2NoMHRssai0tntmeS45Q

A lunch for guests will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to North Church or United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR),

https://www.umfindiana.org/ .

Feeney-Hornak Keystone Mortuary assisting with arrangements. For more information, visit www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/indianapolis-in/robert-glass-11674987.