George Thomas Glass
George Glass, loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather, passed away peacefully March 20, 2019, at home in the arms of his loving wife of 76 years, Ruby, and surrounded by family.
George was born August 14, 1924 in Sumner, Texas to Lewis and Myrtle (Knight) Glass. He was the youngest of 4 children. His family moved to Paris, Texas, where George met 16 year old Ruby Lee Harvey while attending Paris High School. The two were married in 1942 after graduating. As soon as he was of age, George enlisted in the Marines and was sent to San Diego for basic training. George and Ruby were then sent to Santa Barbara, where he was deployed to the South Pacific during World War II. He left the service as a Sergeant and has always held his experience in the Marines dear to his heart.
After the war, George returned to Santa Barbara and began working at Jordano’s as a meat cutter. They started the Handy Food Market in 1953, a small, family-run grocery store on Milpas St. George ran the meat department and Ruby worked the register. The store soon became popular with the families on the east side and the Rivera and was the place to not only shop, but also the hub to visit and chat with one another.
They had 3 boys, George (Tom) Jr., Ron, and Rick who all helped at the store as they grew up. They were members of the First Methodist Church and very active in the boys’ school and sports activities.
In his spare time, George enjoyed many hobbies. Whether they were square dancing with the Fairs & Squares, or dancing swing, ballroom, or cha-cha, George and Ruby always felt at home on the dance floor. They even won first place in a “Dancing with the Stars” competition on a Princess Cruise at the age of 88 against much younger competition. He was also a banjo player, whittler, golfer, water skier, scuba diver, and motorcycle rider. He and Ruby traveled across the USA and Canada on their bike after retiring. They have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles cruising and seen almost every corner of the world but they have always looked forward to getting back to Santa Barbara.
George was an active member of the Elks Club and he and Ruby were members of the Hits & Misses Golf Club. They helped with many of the golf tournaments at Santa Barbara Community Golf Course, and he was the course marshal for many years. He was also an excellent carpenter and woodworker, and with the help of his sons, built their family cabin in the Los Padres Forest.
He is survived by his wife Ruby and sons Tom (Pam), Ron (Barbie), and Rick (Debi), 6 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.
There will be a viewing on Saturday March 30th between 10am and 1pm at Welch-Ryce-Haider Mortuary. Services will be Monday, April 1st at Santa Barbara Cemetery Chapel at 10 am.
The family wishes to thank Robert, Jill and Victor of Assisted Hospice of Santa Barbara and the wonderful homecare nurses who made bringing Dad home possible. We will never forget the care and love you showed our family.