Nan Glass, who served on the West Hartford Town Council, as town clerk, and mayor, died Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017.

By Ronni Newton

Nan Glass, 88, who played a major role in the leadership of the Town of West Hartford for more than two decades, passed away Thursday in the company of her family.

Glass was born in Hartford and grew up in West Hartford, where she graduated from Hall High School in 1946. According to her obituary on Weinstein Mortuary’s website, she went on to earn her B.A. in English literature at UConn, graduating in 1950, and after raising her four children in 1971 she became a reporter for the West Hartford News.

Glass was first elected to the Town Council in 1973, and served through 1978 when she became managing editor of the West Hartford News.

The 1995-97 West Hartford Town Council included Nan Glass (front row, center) as mayor. Photo on display in West Hartford Town Hall

In 1979 Glass ran for, and was elected to, the position of West Hartford town clerk –  a job she held for multiple terms until retiring in 1995 when she decided to run for Town Council again and as the top vote-getter became mayor of West Hartford from 1995 through 1997.

Glass played a major role in many pivotal happenings in West Hartford, among them the launch of West Hartford Community Television in 1978 and creation of the town-wide festival Celebrate! West Hartford in 1987. She also co-authored the book “Celebrate! West Hartford,” an illustrated history of the town.

In 1995, Glass, along with Richard Patrissi, was the recipient of the Chamber of Commerce’s Noah Webster Award in recognition of her outstanding service and contributions to the community.

Glass was the fourth woman to serve as mayor of West Hartford, and current Mayor Shari Cantor, who is the fifth, said she has always looked to Glass as a role model.

“She was a respected, committed public servant for so many years,” Cantor said. “She was an integral part of West Hartford’s leadership.”

Cantor said that Glass had very high standards and held herself accountable to those standards.

“She served the town with strong ethics, hard work, and pride,” Cantor said, a model she herself works to emulate.

“On behalf of the West Hartford community, we extend our deepest condolences and remember Nan and her family with gratitude and appreciation,” Cantor said.

Glass, who moved to Durham, NC, to be near one of her children in 2014, is survived by her children Alan Glass of West Hartford; Amy Glass (Peter Geoffrion) of Durham, NC; Mitchell Glass (Linda Shi) of Ithaca, NY, seven grandchildren, as well as her sister, multiple in-laws and other relatives, and many friends. She was pre-deceased by her son David.

Her funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 14 at Beth El Temple, 2626 Albany Ave. Rabbi James Rosen will officiate.

For more information or to offer online condolences, visit Weinstein Mortuary’s website.

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