A full and fulfilling lifetime of love and laughter came to a peaceful end at home on Saturday, July 25, for Arthur Glazer, 98, of West Lebanon, N.H., formerly of Revere, Sharon and Swampscott, Mass.
Born Sept. 29, 1921, in Brooklyn, N.Y., he was the son of the late Mayer and Tillie (Mitnick) Glazer and brother of the late Milton Glazer. As a teenager, he moved with his family to Revere, Mass. A graduate of Revere High School, he served his country in the Army during World War II.
A talented artist -- his lantern illustration, created for the 1940 Revere High yearbook, has been used for decades since -- he attended Tufts University's Museum School on the GI Bill after his discharge in 1946. He went on to a long career as a commercial artist, creating designs for draperies for Huntington Products (later Seraprint) of Lawrence, Mass., and wallpaper for the Thomas Strahan Co. of Chelsea, Mass. He also spent several years as an illustrator for the Bradlees department store chain, heading its art department, his drawings being seen in circulars and newspaper ads throughout New England.
Arthur met and fell in love with Leona Freedman, also of Revere, after returning from the service. They married in 1953 and moved to Sharon and a cozy new home on Gabriel Road, where they welcomed their three children, Howard in 1955, Jaclyn in 1957 and Fred in 1965. In 1970, the family moved to Swampscott, where Arthur and Leona spent the next 45 years, moving to West Lebanon to be closer to their son, Fred, and his wife in 2015.
Life in the Glazer household was full of love, music and humor in equal parts. Mom and Dad were true soulmates, their tender moments frequently -- and unexpectedly -- giving way to gales of laughter at a joke, a malapropism, a pun, or something seen, heard or read by either Dad, Mom or one of the children. Collections of comics and cartoons could frequently be found on the living room table -- George Herriman's absurdist "Krazy Kat" to "The Far Side." On the stereo: Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner's "2000-Year-Old Man," Allan Sherman's "My Son, the Folk Singer," On TV; Jackie Gleason, "Laugh-In," Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, "Green Acres" and, later, "Seinfeld." All this had notable byproducts: an elder son who still has a hard time resisting telling (or stealing) a joke, even in the middle of writing his own father's obituary, and a younger one with his own quirky sense of humor.
Another constant in the Glazer household was music -- Mozart and Beethoven, Dvorak and Wagner, Verdi and Rossini; Theodore Bikel and Harry Belafonte; Burl Ives and Joan Baez; Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly; Gypsy melodies and German drinking songs and English folk ballads. It was a minor triumph for his kids to persuade him to change the station to something more contemporary (or "crazy," as he would put it) during long drives.
Dad enjoyed good food and good conversation. He had a strong sense of what was fair and right and constantly impressed those values on his children. He supported all of us in our career paths and was quick to offer advice, assistance and consolation if anything were to go wrong. He was a remarkable man who will live on in the memories of his cherished family and his friends.
Arthur Glazer, 98, leaves behind his beloved wife, Leona (Freedman) Glazer, sons Howard Glazer of Meriden, Conn. and Fred Glazer of Wilder, Vt., daughter Jaclyn Glazer of Lynn, Mass. and daughter-in-law Linda Yarritu Glazer of Wilder, Vt. Graveside services, for family only, will be held Wednesday, July 29, at 2 p.m., at Sudilkov Cemetery, Everett, Mass., under the direction of Torf Funeral Service, Chelsea, MA 02150