Kassiani Glenn was born in Kifisia, Greece in 1941. It was a rural area outside of Athens, and she lived there and elsewhere, often with members of the extended family, during the German occupation and subsequent Greek Civil War. For years, she had nightmares of the bombings and was never comfortable being hungry.
She came to the United States in her teens when the family moved to Alabama. Members of the community helped her acclimate to her new country. A helpful teacher at Murphy High School renamed her "Kathy," thus preventing a number of butchered pronunciations of her name.
After high school, she moved to North Carolina, where she met and married Frank Glenn, a seminary student at Wake Forest. Their life was centered around faith, service, and their two children.
During her time in Gastonia, NC, Kathy volunteered for Gaston Community Action, which cleaned up vacant lots so children could play in them, organized block parties, and pushed for more street lighting and improving the dirt roads in low-income neighborhoods.
After they moved to Kentucky, Kathy joined the Temporary Kentucky Organization, which represented a coalition of community groups. With then-leader John Grimes, they convinced the city to improve Lexington's bus service and create a recycling center.
Kathy also earned a degree from the University of Kentucky and became a social worker. She started as a probation officer, but flourished in foster care. She fought hard for her kids, using personal time to help them. Her caseload grew, especially with the "trouble children". At least one of "her kids" went on to become a social worker herself, inspired by Kathy's support in her youth.
When Frank's job moved them to Virginia, they joined the United Church of Christ. Kathy continued her work with foster care before joining a religious group that arranged adoptions. In her "spare time," she continued to support various causes.
One of her dreams was to become a missionary and help poor people in other countries. In 1994, when Frank retired, her dream came true: she and Frank became missionaries for the United Church of Christ at Silliman University in the Philippines. They taught, but also spearheaded a project to run water pipes to mountain villages with limited water, and founded the “One Church, One Child” foster care project.
Her final move was to Florida. During her time in Pinellas County, she pushed for affordable housing and supported Bread for the World and the Homeless Empowerment Project. Even after Frank died in 2012, she continued to pursue justice with Faith UCC's projects.
Kathy Glenn passed away in Largo, Florida on March 30th, 2025. She is survived by her children, Sarah (Gwen) Glenn, Joel (Kathryn) Glenn, granddaughter Christy McMillen, great-grandchildren Shawn Harvey and Hunter (Hannah) McMillen, and her Filipino godchildren: Phyns Fabrigar Patalinghug, Regal Oliva, and the Andog family: Shian Mae, Kassiani, Franklenn, and Josémarie. Finally, she is survived by her brothers Michael and Theodore (Poly) Papadeas and their children (Ellen, Michael, Sandra, Paul, and Sophia).
She would have appreciated donations to Bread for the World or your local food bank.
