Cordell R. Glaus

In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years. (Abe Lincoln) Cordell R. Glaus, age 85, passed away peacefully at home September 3, 2013.

He was born on November 10, 1927 in Ashtabula, Ohio to the late Charles and Mary Glaus. He served in the U.S. Army and then attended Kent State University. He was invited to become a member of Epsilon Pi Tau, the first Industrial Arts professional fraternity in the state of Ohio. Cordell graduated in 1951, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Education, with a major in Industrial Arts. He was the first of two persons in Ohio to receive the Ohio Architect License in September 1953. After receiving his Architecture License, Cordell worked with an engineering and architecture firm in Akron for eight years. In June 1961 he and other colleagues formed the architecture and engineering firm of Glaus, Pyle, and DeHaven. After twenty-six years, he retired from the firm. The GPD Group, headquartered in Akron, now has satellite offices throughout the United States.

One of Cordell’s growing interests was viticulture and enology. He enjoyed home wine making so much that after retirement from the GPD Group in 1987 he formed another company, Portage Hills Vineyards, with his sons, Kent and Gary. The winery, located in Suffield, Ohio was open until 2002 when Cordell retired for the second time. Cordell loved to travel and since family was always very important to him, he made it a priority to take his family on annual vacations. A favorite vacation spot was Cape Hatteras, North Carolina where Cordell liked to surf fish. His travels also took him to other interesting places including Great Britain, Hawaii, Russia and China.

 Cordell’s other interests included bicycling, music, painting and flying. A very important aspect of Cordell’s life was his involvement with the United Methodist Church of Mogadore, where he was a member for 55 years. He later transferred his membership to the United Methodist Church of Kent, after moving to Kent in 2011.

In addition to his parents, Cordell is preceded in death by his wife, Lois; son, Kent; and brother-in-law, Marty Brenkus. Survivors include his wife, Henrietta; children, Gary (Cheri) Glaus of Barberton; and Diane (Doug) Rice of Brimfield; daughter-in-law, Janet Glaus of Mogadore; stepson, Bruce (Linda) Nelson of Las Vegas, Nev.; grandchildren, Adam (Heather)Glaus of Akron; Melissa (Ben) Spencer of Adamsville, Pa., Christina (Chad) Danley of Franklin, Tenn., Greg (Amie) Glaus of Silver Lake, Danielle (Randy) Griffith of Ravenna, and Dustin Davies of Brimfield, Oh./Washington, D.C.; step grandchildren, Candice (Will) Hayes, and Bruce Allan (Rachel) Nelson, all of Las Vegas, Nev.; sisters, Lilafay (Ralph) Strong of Cantonsville, Md., and Rosemary Brenkus of Geneva, Oh.; five great-grandchildren; and nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held to celebrate Cordell’s life on Saturday, September 14 at 11 a.m. at the United Methodist Church of Kent, 1435 E. Main St., Kent, Ohio with Dr. David Palmer and Rev. Douglas Denton officiating. The family will receive friends and family prior to the service, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: Joseph Morbito Study Abroad Fund c/o the Kent State University Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 5190, Kent, OH 44242-0001. Gifts may be made through credit card at www.givetokent.org, noting name of fund and fund #34093; or the United Methodist Church of Kent, P.O. Box 646, Kent, OH 44240; or the United Methodist Church of Mogadore, 3828 Mogadore Rd., Mogadore, OH 44260.