Remembering my grandparents: Jane and Larry Glazer

Ten years ago today, Jane and Larry Glazer died in the crash of their private plane. For decades, the Glazers were among Rochester’s most notable entrepreneurs and philanthropists. Both were Rochester Business Hall of Fame inductees. Jane Glazer, who began her career as a math teacher, founded and led QCI Direct, which became one of the area’s fastest-growing private businesses. As CEO and managing partner of Buckingham Properties, a real estate business he co-founded and grew into the area’s largest commercial real estate developer and property management company, Larry Glazer helped to revitalize Rochester with a series of daunting projects including redevelopment of the former Midtown Tower, now Tower280, and rebirth of the former Genesee Hospital as Alex Park Campus. The Glazers also gave back to the community, supporting nonprofits such as the Jewish Home, the JCC, and WXXI. Their loss stunned the community—more than 2,000 people attended the memorial service for the Glazers.

To mark the 10th anniversary of the Glazers’ death, the Beacon invited the oldest of their six grandchildren, Hazel J. Glazer, to share some memories of her grandparents and reflect on their legacy. Hazel, 18, is the daughter of Ken Glazer, Jane and Larry’s son, and Patty Glazer.  She graduated this spring from Pittsford Sutherland High School, where she was a writer and editor of the school paper. Hazel is now a student at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, where she plans to major in English.

Sept. 5, 2014, my grandparents died in the crash of their plane. Decades of loving their family and their community were cut short in a hypoxic plane cabin.

It was a Friday afternoon with only about two hours left in the school day when I was pulled out of class. Outside the main office, my parents told me what had happened. As a third grader, my little self could only grasp so much, but somehow I understood. Suddenly, I was surrounded by tears and shaking shoulders.  

At home, I remember curling up with my favorite stuffed animal, Teddy, and hating myself for not crying. At one point, I heard a commotion and leaped out of bed. I quietly crept to watch my dad face off with reporters at our front door, sniffing like hounds for a crumb of our devastation. As two of Rochester’s successful businesspeople, Jane and Larry’s deaths were high profile in local media outlets.

The days that followed were hollow. One moment, it seemed, I’d been making Velveeta mac and cheese with my grandma, playing Mancala with my grandpa, and sneaking to the gumball machines in their basement. Then it was all over.

Throughout our house there was weeping. My limbs felt sapped of energy, like hollow tree trunks. I daydreamed of returning to my grandparents’ arms, breathing in their scents, feeling my grandma’s wild curls brush the top of my head and the cold of my grandpa’s heavy watch on my skin. Often, I found myself in front of a mirror, desperately searching my face for a glimpse of their lineage. I craved the presence of two people who couldn’t appear before me.

The burden of grief lay heavily across my eight-year-old shoulders. I felt lost, alone, and desperate for connection. I went to school but consumed my time by reading novels.  

And yet, as grief filled my body, love flooded my heart. In the days following the accident, my family was cared for in ways that I’ll long recall with fondness and immense appreciation. Our house was filled with friends and family offering support. Family members flocked from across the country to offer tissues for our tears and to fill our fridge with casseroles. I was nourished physically and emotionally; the love was palpable.

At the memorial service, held 11 days after their deaths, thousands came to show their appreciation for my grandma and grandpa. 

As a child and young teen, I never quite grasped the impact of my grandparents on their community. To me, they were paddle boat captains and Hanukkah hosts. But as each year passes, I’ve learned to appreciate their endeavors more and more. As the founders and CEOs of Buckingham Properties and QCI Direct, and as philanthropists, the impact of their work and their legacy went far beyond familial boundaries. Their legacy of kindness and selflessness inspires me to be as compassionate and hardworking as they were. Every day, I try a little more to shape my life by their example.

In my sophomore year of high school, I performed with a jazz ensemble at the Jane and Laurence Glazer Performance Center at Nazareth University. It was surreal. As I played on stage, I could feel their spirits watching. I’d begun playing bass in fifth grade—two years after my grandparents’ passing—and it felt cathartic to play for them.

My dad was there for that performance. Throughout my life, he has been a huge supporter. After every jazz concert, field hockey game, and school award event, he’d give me a big hug. Although I miss my grandparents, my dad has shown up every time, and each time he’s brought a piece of Jane and Larry with him.

This year is the 10th anniversary of their deaths. On that fateful day, my grandparents’ private plane crashed 14 miles off the coast of Jamaica in a failed flight from Rochester to Naples, Fla. The plane and my grandparents were buried over 3,000 feet deep in the Caribbean Sea. My dad and his siblings, Rick Glazer and Mindy MacLaren, desperately wanted to return their parents to Rochester to rest. I know the saying is usually “When there’s a will, there’s a way,” but I think that it’s more accurate to say “When there’s love, there’s a way.” With the help of a marine services company called the Eclipse Group—led by Steve Saint-Amour and his team—my grandparents and various plane parts and personal items (including my grandma’s phone) were recovered from the sea.

I’m thankful that they were brought back home. It’s comforting to know that they are nearby, and I often visit their graves. I “have lunch” with them and update them about my life. I told them about the first time I loved a boy, my journey to college commitment, and countless family affairs. I have been on Earth longer without them than with them, but I truly believe they look out for me and listen to my prayers. I hope they are proud of the woman I am today and the woman I strive to become.

I’ve seen how people’s lives can be flipped upside down and backward in the span of days. I’ve seen the self-doubt, desperation, and just-get-out-of-bed mentalities that follow a loved one’s death. But I’ve also seen the rejuvenating transformations as people adapt to altered lives. 

We’re on Earth for a minuscule amount of time and it’s up to us to make the most of that time. Show love to those around you. Visit your elderly relatives, and the non-elderly ones too, because we don’t know when our time is up. Enjoy every second and revel in the joys and sorrows of being human.

Rest in peace, Grandma and Grandpa. I love you. 

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