Joan Lutie Armington Glasgow

Dear, sweet Joan A. Glasgow passed away suddenly on May 13, 2025 in Portland OR after a valiant battle with multiple illnesses.  She was 87.  Born in Long Beach CA on November 4, 1937 to John Howard Armington and Lutie Ward Whitcomb, Joan spent her childhood on the family rabbitry property on the outskirts of Lomita CA where her father raised over 5000 rabbits for the war effort.  Her mother was a former milliner then homemaker and helped with the rabbitry.  The rabbitry property had several homes which were used by Joan’s grandparents and her cousin Virginia as well as the Fernandez and Navarro families.  She had wonderful memories of eating delicious Mexican food made by the families.  When she was 9 years old, her parents sold the property and moved into the town of Lomita. Her father began working as a salesman for Armite Laboratories in Los Angeles, a company his father founded.  They made lubricants including their top seller 12/34 which was a rival to WD40, yet it was not flammable.  When Joan was 12 her parents divorced, her father remarried twice and moved to Hollywood while her mother raised Joan and her younger sister Judie solo all while never learning to drive.  Joan became more independent spending time with her beloved aunts Ruth and Nellie in Long Beach CA helping them with cleaning and learning various skills.  Her spare time was spent with friends, participating in Jobs Daughters and frequently visiting her great-grandmother Nan Nan at her beach home in Hermosa Beach CA.  Joan graduated from Narbonne High School in 1955 and went on to work at Pepperdine College and Long Beach State College while attending school there. Joan also worked at a local department store and for USC doing secretarial work.  A few years later her father welcomed her half-sisters into the world, Marti and Jeri.  One day in 1958 while hanging out with friends in Seal Beach, Joan met a fellow named Richard Glasgow, known as “Dick”, a sailor stationed on the US Carrier Yorktown.  While he was deployed on a 6-month Naval WESTPAC, she fell in love with his charm and wit from his numerous letters he wrote to her.  Shortly upon his return, they married at the Lomita Presbyterian Church, and lived in Seal Beach CA while he attended Long Beach State until their daughter Robyn was born a few years later, then moved north to Manteca CA where Joan was a church secretary at the Methodist Church. A few years later their youngest daughter Jana was born.  Dick was adventurous and obtained a civilian job with the US Government in Okinawa Japan, so in 1966 the family relocated there for 2-1/2 years where Joan worked in the Harborview Club as a secretary.  She and Dick made shopping trips to Tokyo and Taiwan during that time.  In 1969, the family relocated again to Tirrenea Italy and Joan started the Bus Mother Program so that the American kids who were bussed to/from the Army Base school would not be alone in a foreign country.  The family enjoyed several trips within Europe by car gathering lovely possessions she treasured.  As the overseas jobs were limited to 5 years, the family returned to Manteca and Joan again became the Methodist church secretary.  Dick got the travel bug again taking another civilian job in San Diego CA so the family moved south in 1975 but soon after Joan found herself divorced raising 2 teenagers alone.  She obtained a job with the San Diego Community College District, first at San Diego City Community College, then at the district office in Purchasing where she made her way up to Purchasing Supervisor.  She also did part-time work with the district recording and documenting Board Meetings for the Board of Trustees.  And later, Joan worked part-time at Mira Mesa Community College teaching computer skills to the students. While working those 3 jobs, Joan also obtained her Associate of Arts degree in Purchasing Materials & Management from City College.  She retired in 2002.  

In her rare spare time, Joan enjoyed reading books especially her beloved Agatha Christie series.  She sewed clothes in her earlier years for her daughters.  When she could she traveled with several friends to various places around the world and enjoyed trips to see her extended family in CA and KS.  And she oversaw the care of her beloved mother Lutie moving her closer into an Assisted Living facility.   In 2005 after no family was left in San Diego, Joan moved to Coos Bay OR to her dream home on an acre of landscaped property.  She loved the view from her living room window and all the space she had for her book collection and other treasures.  The relocation allowed her to help raise her beautiful granddaughter Linnea while she was young.  In the summers she loved to make jams with fresh fruit from friends.  Volunteering became a passion and she joined several local clubs making wonderful friends including the Q4G quilting group who have been making 15 quilts a week in her basement for the community, the Coos Sand & Sea Garden Club and the Coos Bay Quilt Guild.  But much of her time was spent helping at Harmony Methodist Church where she ran the Snack Pack program, oversaw the Saturday Meals and Sunday Coffee Hours, oversaw the clothes closet giveaways and she was on several church boards.  Unfortunately, illnesses and injuries crept into her life all too often limiting her ability to serve more as she intended.

Joan was proceeded in death by her parents, sister Retired Air Force Lt Col Judie Armington, half-sister Jeri Armington, and ex-husband, Richard Glasgow.  Survivors include her daughters, Robyn Greenlund and Jana Ditmars/ husband Eric, granddaughter Linnea Greenlund, half-sister Marti Armington/daughter Archie Armington, many cousins, a multitude of dear friends, and her beloved Siamese cat Sahara.

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