Glen P. Albright
10/12/1956 - 08/24/2020

 


Glen  P.  Albright

A Man for All Seasons

***Click here to sign-up for the Friday, 8/28 visitation between 4:00 – 8:00pm***

 

Glen P. Albright, 63, of Union N.J. passed into eternal life on Monday, August 24, 2020 at his home surrounded by his family.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Saint James R.C. Church in Springfield N.J. on Saturday, August 29th at 10 a.m.  Visitation will be held on Friday, August 28th from 4 to 8 p.m. at Bradley, Smith & Smith Funeral Home in Springfield N.J. Due to restrictions in the funeral home. Guests must register on Sign-Up Genius using the link above to attend in person.

Glen Patrick Albright was born on October 12, 1956 in Newark, N.J. to Natalie (Iarossi) Albright and John Albright.  He was greeted by a doting brother, Lance, who had also been born on October 12th, six years earlier.

He had the good fortune to be surrounded by an Italian grandmother, Marietta Iarossi and a loving aunt, Mary Iarossi. Marietta had come to America through Ellis Island and Mary was first generation American, like her sister Natalie.

His father, John (Jack) Albright, came from a line of sturdy Pennsylvania stock, the Duffys and the Albrights. A World War II Navy veteran and lifelong Teamster, he had an abiding love of his country and his family.

Glen’s first entry into the academic world, a pursuit he would follow all his life, was at St. Rocco’s in Newark.  While excelling at his studies, he was also a left-handed pitcher on the baseball team and the center on the basketball team.

Upon graduation, he achieved what was to be one of the highpoint moments in his young life.  His acceptance to Seton Hall Prep – a school that he cherished and was devoted to all his life.

While playing Freshman Football at the Prep he was diagnosed with diabetes.

This disease would change the course of his life.  It also would also define a trait that he would demonstrate time and time again: the refusal to quit and the strength to overcome every obstacle that was placed in his path.

At the Prep, he developed a love for acting. He would pursue it for the rest of his life. He was Student Council President his Senior Year having developed another love that would shape his adult life, teaching.

Graduating in 1976, with many choices for college he opted to stay close to home and attend Seton Hall University. A decision that would guide him for decades and provide his greatest joys and triumphs.

A Communications Major with a love of English and Literature, he continued to pursue acting.  He performed with Seton Hall’s Theatre-in-the-Round and the Celtic Theatre Company. He also began to branch out to regional theaters such as The Actors Café in East Orange.

 

At this time, the greatest joy of his life would appear in the form of a young woman enrolled in the Nursing College – Mary Osgoodby. She was doing a photojournalism project for one of her classes and stopped by at a play he was starring in to do the photo shoot.

They would joyously share the next 40 years together, 37 as husband and wife.

Glen’s love for teaching blossomed upon his graduation from Seton Hall University. His first position was at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark. He also coached the JV soccer team preparing the players for the varsity and the numerous state championships they would go on to win.

He then taught at Our Lady of Sorrows in South Orange before moving on to his alma mater, Seton Hall Prep.  His final stop was at Somerset County Vocational / Technical School where he was Supervisor of Performing Arts and other administrative posts.

Balancing his teaching with his acting pursuits, Glen would go on to perform and direct at The Chatham Playhouse, The Whole Theater Company in Montclair, the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn and his personal love, The Strollers in Maplewood.

In his private life, he displayed the same boundless enthusiasm.  A rabid Washington Redskins and Notre Dame fan.  A lover of Broadway and an avid theater goer. A collector of Doulton character mugs, animation art, monster and science fiction figures.

Top of his list were the numerous vacations and trips he and Mary shared to far flung places.

Shakespeare said, “what a piece of work is man”.  He must have known Glen.

A boundless love for family and friends. An infectious sense of humor. A deep faith rooted in his Catholic upbringing. An unabashed lover of cats.  A love for Mary that knew neither boundaries nor restraints – a perfect love.

Glen was a Man for All Seasons.

He leaves behind Mary, his loving wife, his brother Lance, sister-in-law Nancy, niece Kristen James (husband Truman and son Sterling), niece Blair Perrina (husband Lucio and daughter Lianna), aunt Joan Ronde (husband Tony), sister-in-law Mary Ann Osgoodby, nephew Tom Osgoodby (wife Roxanne and daughters Ava and Emma) and nephew Greg Osgoodby (wife Stephanie and daughters Harper and Claire) as well as his best friend Mike Bolger, the whole Bolger family and Cindy (Albright) Cook and all his friends and loved ones too numerous to name here but who shared a special place in his heart. In lieu of flowers, donations in Glen’s name may be made to. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Pl. Memphis, TN 38105 or The Wild Animal Sanctuary, 1946 County Rd. 53, Keensburg, CO 80643.


Funeral Home:
Bradley, Smith & Smith Funeral Home
Visitation Hours:
Friday, August 28, 2020. 4 pm to 8 pm. Guests must register with Sign- Up Genius to attend. Link is above.
Funeral:
Saturday, August 29, 2020. 10 am. St. James the Apostle Church, Springfield, NJ
Committal:
St. Gertrude's Cemetery, Colonia
Memorial Gifts:
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Pl. Memphis, TN 38105, or The Wild Animal Sanctuary, 1946 County Rd. 53, Keensburg, CO, 80643
Bradley Funeral Homes
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