93 Years and Counting!

Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Last Monday was a big milestone for Glenn Masimore, as he celebrated his 93rd birthday via a drive-by, COVID-safe birthday party, where family, friends and neighbors could stop by and visit at a safe distance. Visitors dropped off cards and balloons for Glenn, and left with a promise of delivery of a slice of homemade cake. Joy Herring, Glenn's medical surrogate, got a late start in her party prep, but baked a cake that was fit to impress! The first layer was chocolate, followed by a layer of yellow, which Joy then topped with red velvet, then another layer of yellow, then a final top layer of chocolate cake. Each layer was separated with chocolate icing, and the whole cake was covered in green frosting, Glenn's favorite color.
Friends and neighbors stopped by periodically and reminisced with Glenn about highlights of his life, both past and present. After nearly a century of memories, some details have begun to fade away, but Glenn was able to share some amazing tales from his long life.
On the first of September, in 1952, just two weeks before his 25th birthday, Masimore was drafted into the military, where he served for two years in the 101st Airborne Division in the United States Army. His first year was spent in Korea before he was moved back to the U.S., where he was stationed guarding weapons.
He married his wife, Lilian, in 1949, after being together for three years. During his time in Korea, Glenn saw and did many things, including saving a man’s life, and watching one of his fellow soldiers get shot through the throat. One of the most memorable moments of his time in the military was when he narrowly escaped a bullet by sheer luck. “I heard the bird coming,” he recounted, using the term “bird” in reference to a bullet, “I turned, and suddenly, 'just like that', it dropped out of the air, right before it got to me. Just before it hit me.” Glenn expressed his amazement at his fortune. “My wife kept the bullet with her everyday, as a reminder. I wouldn't have made it if I had been hit.”
Glenn and his wife Lilian had a daughter, Debra, and lived happily as a family in Maryland. Debra married a man named Dennis Ruff in May of 1982 and together they had two children.
After his retirement at the age of just 47, Glenn found himself too young to claim his Social Security benefits, so he came up with a way that he and his wife could make money participating in something they both enjoyed: flea markets! He and Lilian traveled to Delaware, where they were able to collect many items people were wanting to give away or sell for close to nothing. They then took these items down to Florida, and sold them to eager buyers at any and every flea market they found. “We did this for 30 years!” Glenn stated, “We sold in every flea market in all of Florida.”
When they weren't selling, Glenn and Lilian enjoyed taking their camper out for an adventure, camping in countless Florida campgrounds and visiting many of Florida's stunning waterways, both saltwater and fresh. Out of the two, Glenn prefers saltwater, because the fresh water of the natural Florida springs is a bit too cold for his liking.
Tragically, after nearly 50 years of marriage, Lilian passed away in March of 1995 after a procedure at Tallahassee Memorial went awry. Less than 10 years after burying his dear wife, Glenn suffered the loss of his daughter, who passed away in 2004.
It was then that Glenn made the move to Florida, where he met Joy Herring, and became her caregiver when she needed him most. Today, the two have been together for 15 years, and split the responsibility of “caregiver” mutually with one another, as needed. This month, on Sept. 12, the two celebrated their anniversary. “It's been the best ever! A crazy 15 years, but wonderful, you know how it goes!” said Joy as she worked on the birthday cake from the kitchen. “He took care of me when we met, and in a lot of ways, he's still taking care of me! And I help him with things he needs help with in his old age, so now we are helping each other.”
Together Joy and Glenn enjoy the simple things, like camping when they can, and watching Glenn's baseball and football teams on the television (Florida State and the Baltimore Ravens, respectively), but life is far from boring. Just the other week, a neighbor informed Glenn and Joy that there was a 300-pound bear prowling around the area at night, and encouraged them to keep a tight lid on any trash bins that were outside. The pair went outside one morning and discovered that the bear had instead helped himself to every single fruit on every single tree in their small orchard in their back property. “He must have eaten over 200 pieces of fruit. He picked us clean!” Glenn exclaimed, recounting 5 different species of fruit trees that had been sampled from, including pear, plum and pomegranate.
When he isn't keeping a watchful eye out for fruit-thieving bears, Glenn has some advice for those younger than him. “Take care of your heart,” he said, pointing to his chest, where scars signify a previous heart surgery, during which he was given two stints after a heart attack. “Don't have a heart issue, like I did.” In addition to taking care of your heart, Glenn recommends knowing your limits.
“Don't overdo it when you are carrying things, or when you are lifting. I tend to over do it a lot,” He warns, telling a story about how he once tore his pectoral muscle lifting a lawn mower. The trauma from the injury triggered a shingles flare up that was relentless and left Glenn in agony until he and Joy could find a way to manage it. The only thing that brought him relief was hydrogen peroxide.
With the wisdom of nearly a century to offer, and with wishes from all for many more healthy years to come, Glenn Masimore is an impressive 93 years old, and counting! We at ECB Publishing wish him a very happy birthday! And to him and Joy, who just celebrated their 15th year together, Happy Anniversary!