Priscilla S. (Shaw) Glenn

Priscilla “Pris” Glenn, of Ithaca, New York, passed away peacefully on March 12, 2024, at the age of  90. Born Priscilla Guild Shaw on April 24, 1933, at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York, New York, she  was the daughter of Richard and Helen Read Shaw and sister to Pete Shaw. 

Pris grew up in New York City and New Jersey. She went to American University in Washington, DC. 

Pris began her career as a secretary, working with various organizations in both New York City and  Ithaca, NY. She loved sharing about the day she had the pleasure of meeting and having lunch with  the renowned actor Sidney Poitier while she was working at Newsweek in NYC.  

In Ithaca, Pris worked for the Day Care Council, the Taskforce for Battered Women, and the Cornell  University Press. She was also actively involved in the local democratic party and volunteered her  time generously at the SPCA, Science Center, and Lifelong Learning Center. 

Family was the most important and meaningful part of her life. She loved her son Courtney and his  wife Kerry, and especially loved her granddaughters, Atira and Fiona Glenn-Keough. She shared a  special bond with her mother, Helen, who moved to Ithaca to be with Pris and Courtney until her  death in 1992. She adored her father Richard who passed away just 3 weeks before her son was born.  

Pris had a deep affection for animals, especially dogs, and could often be found walking her dog in  Fall Creek and along Cayuga Lake. She enjoyed various hobbies, including cooking, gardening, rescuing houseplants (she had a great green thumb), interior design, playing cards, traveling (she  loved Cape Cod), playing the piano, and tennis. She loved Broadway musicals, classical music,  movies, television, and books. She was a strong woman and could still be seen push mowing her  lawn at 80 years old (despite the protests of her son who thought she might run over her toes). Her stubbornness and strong will kept her youthful beyond her years. 

Known for her thoughtfulness and non-judgmental attitude, Pris was a solace for many people who  felt misunderstood. She was a great listener who offered comfort and support to all who sought her  company. She had a way of making people feel like there was nothing wrong with them, an ability  the world could use more of. 

Her sharp mind and remarkable memory endeared her to many, and she could recall events and tell  stories that others had forgotten. She loved to make holidays and birthdays special for everyone  around her. She was also infamous for playing elaborate April fool’s jokes, including convincing her  family she had met the man of her dreams and was getting married and moving away with him that  week! She had such a wonderful sense of humor and made her family (most of all her  granddaughters) laugh and laugh.  

Priscilla will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing her.  Though she is preceded in death by her parents, her spirit lives on through her son, Courtney, her granddaughters, Atira and Fiona, and her daughter in law Kerry, and the countless lives she touched  with her humor, kindness, and compassion. 

A celebration of Pris's life will be held on June 8th at Taughannock Park, with details to follow. In lieu  of flowers, donations may be made to the SPCA in her memory.

Who knows if the moon’s
A balloon,coming out of a keen city
In the sky-filled with pretty people?
(and if you and i should
Get into it,if they
Should take me and take you into their balloon,
Why then
We’d go up higher with all the pretty people
Than houses and steeples and clouds:
Go sailing
Away and away sailing into a keen
City which nobody’s ever visited, where
Always
It’s
Spring) and everyone’s
In love and flowers pick themselves

e. e. cummings

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