Glenn Edward Swope

Reverend Glenn Edward Swope, 90, of Alliance, OH, passed away on February 11th, 2024. Born in 1933 in Newport, KY, he was the youngest child of Henry and Rose Swope. Growing up on the banks of the Ohio River, Glenn and his family enjoyed the tight-knit community of Kentucky Drive.  

He majored in engineering at UC, but felt called in another direction and transferred to Oberlin College as a history major leaning toward ministry. At Oberlin, he met Carole Tempest, a clarinet performance major, they eventually decided to leave Oberlin for Maine’s Bangor Theological Seminary, the New England Conservatory of Music and to get married. Glenn juggled his studies with preaching at various small Maine congregational churches, working part-time, and growing a family.

As a United Church of Christ minister, Glenn served churches in Fairport Harbor, Ohio; Covington, Ohio; Buxton, Maine; Steubenville, Ohio; Trotwood, Ohio; and Auburn, Maine. Glenn also served as interim minister for North Port Community UCC, North Port, FL, St John’s UCC in Massillon, OH, and Bethel UCC in Beloit, OH. Glenn served in various capacities in the Ohio Conference for the UCC. He was especially fond of outdoor ministries. He participated in and directed many outdoor camps.  

After retirement, he and Carole worked in various arts capacities in and around the Sarasota area in Florida, including serving as directors of the Arts Council of Manatee County.  For thirty years, they also wrote theatre and art reviews for the Lewiston Sun Journal (Maine), The Bradenton Herald, and the West Coast Woman (Florida).

Glenn’s other pastimes included flying small planes, piloting his boat, the Intermezzo, around the islands off Maine’s coast, and working in the theatre, both on and off the stage. From playing Horace Vandergelder in Hello Dolly, to The Reverend Witherspoon in 1776, to creating props for CCP, he loved the community that theatre creates.  

He still had time for his tribe of five children. From band days, through track meets; from family weddings, to family baptisms; from backpacking in Glacier NP, to canoeing in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway; there was always something to explore, something to participate in, and something to remind us of how special we are to each other.  

Glenn was preceded in death by oh so many dear friends and family members. 

He is survived by Carole, his wife of 68 years; his children, Steve (Mary),    Priscilla (Rudy) Roggenkamp, Nancy (Gary) Sowders, Linda (Steve) Linnell, and Tim (Christine); 14 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.

A future date will be set for friends and family to celebrate his life.