Cumberland County Assessor of Property Kelli Buchannon posted a loving tribute to local entrepreneur and civic leader Glenn McDonald.  Her words are echoed by hundreds of local citizens who knew Glenn over the years. He was indeed a remarkable man who touched a lot of lives. He never met a stranger. Glenn passed away this week at the ripe old age of 93…a man who we all thought was gonna live forever.  It’s rare to know someone of Glenns personality and we are all glad we had a chance  to  call  him  friend.

I’ve seen so many wonderful posts about Glenn McDonald, and I know my little story is just a drop in the bucket compared to the impact he had on this community.

About 12 years ago, I was a young girl who had been moved into a job in marketing that involved getting out into the community and making connections—and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. One of the first things I was encouraged to do was get involved with the Chamber of Commerce, and that’s where I met Glenn. One of my earliest memories of him was a St. Patrick’s Day event at the Depot. Glenn had on the best little leprechaun ears that you couldn’t even tell were a costume , and before we’d even finished setting everything up, he was already convincing us we had plenty of time to run over to Social Brew for a few minutes—That was Glenn.

Over the next couple of years, he really took me under his wing anytime we crossed paths. He introduced me to more people than I could ever count, and somewhere along the way, he taught me something I’ve carried with me ever since: the value of building relationships, supporting your community, and remembering to have a little (or ALOT) of fun while doing it.

Glenn genuinely loved bringing people together. He wasn’t looking for anything in return. He just enjoyed seeing people connect, businesses succeed, and our community thrive.

He continued to be a wonderful supporter of my business throughout the years, and although we hadn’t spent as much time together recently, he will always be one of those people who made a lasting impact on my life. I don’t know that Glenn ever realized how much those little introductions, conversations, and bits of encouragement meant to a young girl who was just trying to figure it all out. But they meant a whole, whole lot.

I have one bottle of Glenn’s homemade wine left that I’ve been saving at the top of the rack for a while for a special occasion—and I believe sometime this week I’ll finally open it and raise a glass to a man who taught me that some of the best things in life come from the people we meet along the way. Rest easy, Glenn. Thank you for the connections, the laughs, the encouragement, and the memories. You sure did make a difference.