Glassco, Elizabeth

Elizabeth Brainard Glassco: A life well lived, and lived 'on the run'.

Elizabeth B. Glassco, "Lee", died on Friday, October 7th, 2022, in Arlington, VA, of natural causes. Lee was born in Hartford, Connecticut to Morgan and Elizabeth (Buell) Brainard on March 11, 1931, the second of three children. She attended Noah Webster School, Oxford School, and Connecticut College, and married James Russell Glassco, Jr in 1955. She was the mother of four children, Elizabeth, James, Benjamin, and William. She was a flute player for a regional classical band in Connecticut, a writer, a veterinary technician for the Seneca Hill Veterinary Hospital for almost ten years, a 30+ year volunteer of the Friends of the National Zoo program, an avid hiker and camper, and a life-long distance runner. She competed in numerous marathons, including the New York Marathon and the Washington, DC Marine Corps Marathon, as well as many shorter running events, and frequently volunteered as a course assistant for running events in the DC area. She was a member of the DC Road Runners running club and competed with her husband in both the World Veterans Olympics and the World Senior Olympics over a decade or more. In addition, she was

an avid vegetable gardener and maintained a flock of chickens and a series of pygmy goats while living in McLean, Virginia, which provided entertainment for the near and distant neighbors. While she slowed down a bit after moving to Arlington, she continued to walk distances in the mornings, and often worked as a volunteer guide at the National Zoo, most recently in their farm animal exhibit. She also hand raised two African Grey parrots, Pippin and Mali. She was predeceased by her husband James, her daughter Elizabeth, her son Benjamin, and her brother Morgan Brainard III, and by her parrot Pippin, and is survived by her sons James of Arlington, VA and William of Tiverton, RI, her sister Eleanor Randrup of Keene, NH, and her parrot Mali. A memorial service will be held at Saint John's Episcopal Church in McLean, VA on Tuesday, October 18th at 11:00 a.m. Those attending are strongly encouraged to wear either running shoes or hiking boots in honor of her lifelong love of running and hiking. The service will be livestreamed by the church for those not able to attend in person. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the ASPCA.