By JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press, and staff
COLUMBUS – Annie Glenn, the widow of astronaut and U.S. Sen. John Glenn and a communication disorders advocate, died Tuesday of complications from COVID-19.
She was 100.
Hank Wilson, a spokesman for the Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University, said Glenn died at a nursing home near St. Paul, Minnesota.
Governor Mike DeWine ordered the U.S. and Ohio flags flown at half-staff at all public buildings and grounds throughout Muskingum County, where the Glenns grew up and attended college together, and at the Ohio Statehouse, Vern Riffe Center, and Rhodes Tower until sunset on the day of her memorial service.
In honor of the life of Annie Glenn, I have ordered that U.S. and Ohio flags be flown at half-staff upon all public buildings and grounds throughout Muskingum County, and at the Ohio Statehouse, Vern Riffe Center, and Rhodes Tower until sunset on the day of her memorial service. pic.twitter.com/EDW7NE1YLI
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) May 19, 2020
A virtual memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 6, officiated by the Rev. Amy Miracle, pastor for the Broad Street Presbyterian Church in Columbus. No guests will be in attendance due to the COVID-19 restrictions, Wilson said.
“This is a very sad day for all Ohioans. Annie Glenn was certainly our most most beloved Ohioan. She represented all that is good about our country,” DeWine said.
“Annie will be remembered for her work to lift others up, including those who shared her struggles with communicative disorders. Her passion for helping others, along with a kind spirit and sharp wit, endeared Annie to anyone who met her,” said U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).
“Her service to our state and advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities, particularly those with speech disabilities, combined with John’s legacy as an American hero and Ohio’s longest-serving United States Senator have made them a couple that will live forever in Ohio history,” saud U.S. Sen Rob Portman (R-Ohio).
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend, Annie Glenn, devoted wife and mother, role model, and dedicated advocate for the disability community,” U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Columbus) said. “She will always be known as the drive behind her beloved John and a shero in her own right who gave us more than a legacy, but 100 years of ‘live-acy.’”
“Our Ohio State community joins the entire nation in mourning the loss of Annie Glenn, a wonderful person, courageous spirit and deeply devoted citizen, mother, grandmother and loving friend,” said Ohio State University president Michael Drake.
Glenn was a former adjunct professor of speech-language pathology in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science at OSU.
Annie Glenn was thrust into the spotlight in 1962, when her husband became the first American to orbit Earth.
She shied away from the media attention because of a severe stutter.
Her career in advocacy for those with communication disorders included service on the advisory boards of numerous child abuse and speech and hearing organizations.