Glenn gave each Relay for Life 100-percent

RELAY HONOREE – The late Diane Glenn (in portrait) is this year’s Relay for Life posthumous honoree. Glenn was devoted to Relay for Life, serving as team captains and always stayed all night long until the end. Her last Relay she attended was 2015. Her husband, Fred Glenn (left), and daughter, Tiffany Glenn (right) invited everyone to come celebrate Diane’s life and others who have fought cancer, at Relay for Life on June 16 at Bailey Park.

 

This year’s event honors the late Diane Glenn

With Humboldt’s Relay for Life just a couple of weeks away, committee members are proud to announce this year’s honoree. The life of the late Diane Glenn will be celebrated as posthumous honoree.

Humboldt’s Relay for Life will be Friday, June 16 at Bailey Park. Festivities begin at 5 p.m.

Having Glenn as honoree actually began last year, according to Relay co-chairs Mitzie Privitt and Julie Moore.

“We chose Ms. Diane to be honoree last year prior to her passing,” Moore explained. “So we decided to add ‘posthumous’ to the honoree title this year.”

“We tossed around names but nothing fit,” Privitt said of their decision to make Glenn posthumous honoree. “She’s been a part of Relay longer than me.”

Glenn’s husband, Fred Glenn, and daughter, Tiffany Glenn, are proud to have Diane honored this year.

“She really stood behind Relay for Life,” Mr. Glenn said of his late wife. “She was at every event. She stayed all night. She never went to an event where she didn’t stay all night. She did Relay for Life 100-percent.”

“In January, they asked about her (Diane) being honored,” Tiffany added. “They explained what it was—the events that take place. We were all for it.”

Relay’s Caleb Wray recalled Glenn laughing and cheering during closing ceremonies in the wee hours of the morning.

Glenn was certainly committed to Relay for Life. One year she was team captain for three teams, Goody’s, Morning Star and Stigall Primary School. That same year she also helped with Humboldt Utilities’ team.

“She was very dedicated,” Tiffany said of her mom. “2015 was her last Relay.”

When cancer strikes, sometimes it’s quick and hits hard. Other times it sneaks up on victims. Glenn’s cancer sneaked up on her but when it hit, it hit her hard.

“In December of 2015, she said she wasn’t feeling good,” Tiffany said of her mom’s bout with cancer. “She thought it was a cold but she couldn’t kick it.”

They thought it might be pneumonia so she went for a checkup. On February 8, 2016 Glenn was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Glenn’s father also died from cancer. Tiffany said that was one of the reasons her mom was so dedicated to Relay for Life.

When Diane’s diagnosis came in, it was a hard time for the Glenn family. A few days after being diagnosed, Diane’s sister passed away from congestive heart failure.

With the cancer quickly getting stronger, Glenn went in to have a port inserted for treatment on February 24 but they could not do the procedure that day and rescheduled it for the next day. She then had a pulmonary embolism, her daughter said. Eventually her kidneys failed and she passed away on February 28, 2016.

“That’s a good thing, having a short timeline,” Tiffany said looking back at her mother’s suffering being minimal. “I don’t think she could have made it through radiation or chemo.”

Glenn, who had been a teacher in Humboldt for decades, loved her students. She first taught a Main Street Elementary, then moved to East End and was teaching at Stigall Primary School when she passed.

“She never missed school with the kids,” Fred said of his wife. “She taught 28 years and was getting close to retiring.”

In her 20 years taking part in Relay for Life, Glenn was always someone to count on.

“She helped with luminaria lining the track, she was team captain, she helped with sponsorships, you name it, she did it,” Privitt said of Glenn’s work ethic. “She was always willing to volunteer or she would find someone who could. It wasn’t just her, she got her family and friends to help.”

The Glenn family and all the Relay for Life families invite everyone to come out and help celebrate Glenn’s life and all those who are fighting cancer or have fought cancer.

Opening Ceremonies begin at 5 p.m. The Survivor/Caregiver Walk is slated for 6 p.m., followed by the Glenn family telling the honoree’s story.

“With Relay for Life, there are so many factors,” Privitt said of the all-night event. “Sometimes we don’t have the time or members to do it all. Diane did it all. She was the spirit of Relay and still is. She set the example.”