Glenna Moore Stories

Remembering Glenna Moore

It was a year ago today when Glenna Moore passed away. The past year hasn’t been easy for any of us. Her husband misses her. Her children miss her. And, her friends miss her. All we can do is remember and cherish the memories we shared together.

To mark this one-year anniversary, my Dad asked his children to share something simple remembering Glenna. We all decided to write something heartfelt, including Al.

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AL MOORE
The Summer of ‘62 (completed version)

My Mother cherished this poem Al wrote to her as an anniversary gift in the early 70s. The title, The Summer of ’62, marks the time when Glenna Keith Coffey married William Alvin Moore Jr. The poem traces the shared life Glenna and Al lived and throughout the years.

The Summer of ’62 remained incomplete for years because Al would occasionally update it with new verses, reflecting new experiences. When talking about this poem before her passing, my Mom said, “Al keeps promising me an update, so hopefully he will.”

Al kept his promise … the incomplete The Summer of ’62 is now complete.

To watch a video recording of the incomplete poem, click here.

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LANA

Glenna’s oldest daughter shares...

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TRIP

Glenna's oldest son shares...

It has been one year since my mother passed away. It feels strange that we must continue our lives with only memories of her. But she left us all with so many wonderful memories and showed us how to live life even when it is ending. The strength, grace, courage, and the unending faith she showed us all in her final few months are truly inspiring.

I reflect many, many times on the strength and courage she showed while faced with the most adverse situation possible. This maybe the most important lesson she taught me. I try to have just a small amount of the strength she showed when I am faced with the much less difficult situations encountered in everyday life. I do not always have it, but her memory keeps me trying.

For selfish reasons I wish she was still here, no matter her condition, just so I could sit by her side and hold her hand because of the comfort it brought me. I know this feeling is selfish, but it is always there along with the sadness. I am able to find comfort and push past these melancholy thoughts by knowing she was suffering terribly and had sacrificed enough.

I know it sounds like a cliché, but I think about her and miss her everyday. I miss seeing her lovely and comforting face which always made me feel like everything was going to be okay, no matter how down I might I have been. I miss telling her about new things her grandchildren accomplished. I miss seeing the joy she always brought to her grandchildren's faces. I miss her not be able to watch her grandchildren grow up. I miss the weekly Scrabble games we played. I miss being able to ask her advice. I miss being able to ask her questions about one of her recipes I was trying to make. I miss seeing her and Dad together and witnessing the love for each other they shared. I miss the unconditional love I always felt when I was with her.

There are so many more things I miss, but more than anything, I just miss having a mom.

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MARTY
Glenna's youngest daughter shares...

It's been one year since God called my mother to join his angel network.

One year. 365 days. "525.600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?"

The last line above is from the Broadway musical Rent; the lyrics ultimately conclude that life is best measured not by moments, but in love. Mom enjoyed being a friend to all, and in turn was loved by many. She left her footprints on countless souls.

Early in 2008, I met a wonderful man, Russell Rucker, and we were married on March 7th. I honestly believe that Mom played some part in it. I may joke about her long distance matchmaking, however I stand firm that there are no coincidences. Mom would absolutely adore Russell, and cherish her role as grandmother to his 2 sons, Bailey and Bryce (ages 8 and 3 respectively).

Naturally, I wish Mom was physically here to share in this journey with me, but her presence was certainly felt that day. Mom's wedding day pearls received a second inauguration, and I proudly wear her original wedding band which Russell had engraved with both her and my initials, GCM and MMR.

She continues to be a daily part of our relationship as I attempt to practice her advice "try to out love one another".

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JOHN

Glenna's youngest son shares...

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GLENNA'S FRIENDS
Glenna made friends easily. She had her tennis friends, her bridge group friends, her beauty shop friends, and her domino friends.

At her funeral, there was a touching flower bouquet that holds significant meaning to a core group of ladies. The Doms, my Mom’s domino friends, wear a gold domino charm on bracelets that reads, “SPECIAL FRIEND.” This charm was given to them by Al when it was evident Glenna’s life was nearing its end. These dear ladies showed their love for their friend with this remarkable flower arrangement. A loving tribute to Glenna Moore, someone we all consider a Special Friend ...

Glenna Moore | Baylor Line

The Fall 2007 issue of the Baylor Alumni Association magazine included a short obituary for Glenna. Click the image below to view full-size or click here to view a PDF version.

Glenna’s Warriors Walk Again

This morning a gathering of Tech Plan employees, friends, and family participated in the Dallas-area MDA Stride & Ride charity walk. Sporting their “Glenna’s Warriors” baseball jerseys, this group walked to raise money for MDA & ALS research and to celebrate the memory of my mother, Glenna Moore.

My heartfelt appreciation goes out to Linda Chrissey who not only organized this year’s gather of Tech Plan folks but also last year’s group. Thank you Linda for taking the time to make this happen and for spearheading the $20,000-plus in donations that Tech Plan has raised to support the fight against the ALS disease.

My heartfelt appreciation also goes out to entire Glenna’s Warriors army who joined my Dad this morning to lend emotional, physical, and financial support for a cause dear to everyone who knew (and loved) Glenna Moore. THANK YOU!!!

Recipes and Memories: When Mom Cooked

For Christmas this year I updated a cookbook my Mom put together back in the dot-matrix printer days. She titled it, WHEN MOM COOKED. This cookbook contains 65 recipes my Mom cooked when her family was young. All the recipes are fairly simple since she led a busy life keeping track of four kids, a husband, and herself. Each recipe includes a short "Mom's Note," where my Mom shares a few memories associated with the dish.

The original version of this cookbook was given to her kids as gifts in 1993. (All of our three hole-punched copies are now tattered after heavy usage.) This updated version was given as Christmas gifts from me to Moore family members. It is also being shared with you in this e-book version.

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DOWNLOAD | RECIPES & MEMORIES [.pdf | 2MB]

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My Mom would be thrilled to know others are using her recipes to create lasting family memories.

The Summer of '62 (video)

For Glenna's funeral, I updated an earlier video by including photos to accompany the words in the poem my Father wrote for her.

This poem, THE SUMMER OF '62, was featured in the inside-front panel of the Funeral Program (.pdf link) and the following video was played during the service.

When my Father wrote this poem, he never imagined it would be used to beautifully eulogize the wonderful life he and his wife enjoyed.

Beautiful it is ... enjoy.

Glenna Moore

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Glenna Keith Coffey Moore Obituary

Nine letters, “Yankee Iron Horse.” As an avid crossword puzzler, Glenna Moore knew the answer—Lou Gehrig. When Glenna penciled in the name ‘Lou Gehrig’ on countless crossword puzzles, little did she know they would one day share something life-altering in common.

On July 27, 2007, Glenna Keith Coffey Moore, age 70, passed away after living the past two years with ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Wife, mother, grandmother, teacher and friend to all, Glenna will be remembered for her radiant smile, contagious laughter, and always-caring heart.

Glenna’s life began on November 22, 1936 in Big Spring, TX as the daughter of John Askew Coffey and Margaretta Sanders Coffey. The Coffeys were schoolteachers and instilled the teacher traits of patience and grace with their daughter. Glenna graduated from Baylor University in 1959 with a B.A. (Education) degree where she served as President of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.

After college, Glenna moved to Dallas, TX and followed in her parent’s footsteps as a fourth-grade teacher at George W. Truett Elementary School from 1959 to 1962.

On a blind date in the fall of 1961 she met William Alvin Moore, Jr. (Al). It was a classic case of opposites attract. Being outgoing and talkative, Glenna never envisioned herself finding Al, the much more introverted of the two, attractive—but she did. And in the summer of ’62, they married.

By the spring of 1963, Glenna and Al were living in Fort Worth, TX when they welcomed the birth of their first daughter, Melana Love Moore (Lana). A second child, this time a boy, followed soon thereafter—William Alvin Moore, III (Trip). And in 1970, girl/boy twins arrived—Margaret Elizabeth Moore (Marty) and John Hardin Moore (John).

The Moore Family settled into their North Dallas home on Tophill Circle where Glenna took care of the kids and Al took care of his young, growing business.

Glenna led a very active life during this time. Besides the full-time job of being a mother, Glenna found time to volunteer for Meals on Wheels, participate in numerous Parent Teacher Associations, and be an active member of Spring Valley Methodist Church and later, Prestonwood Baptist Church and Park Cities Baptist Church.

For thirty-plus years, Glenna enjoyed the camaraderie and competition from playing tennis at T Bar M Tennis Club. She played on numerous teams with the Tennis Competitors of Dallas, the Women’s Tennis Association, and as a mixed-doubles partner with Al. Some of Glenna’s fondest times were spent on and off-the-court with her tennis friends.

Because of her personable, dependable, and likeable ways, Glenna developed friendships easily. Some of her most enduring friendships were formed within her long-running neighborhood bridge club and more recently, her dominoes group.

She was fortunate to remain close to her brother, Robert Thomas Coffey, M.D. of Fort Worth, TX.

Glenna was also fortunate to enjoy the endearing friendship of Trip’s wife, Jacqueline Blair Moore, and their two children—Blair Christian Moore and Hannah Love Moore. Glenna absolutely adored her two grandchildren who affectionately called her ‘GiGi.’

But Glenna’s most enduring and endearing friendship was with her husband of 45-years. By the time their kids had grown and moved away, Al and Glenna became the dating couple they used to be and set forth to live and love till eternity. As a couple, they traveled the world enjoying the adventures of barging down the canals of France, cruising through the Straits of Magellan, and ballooning over Switzerland.

Unfortunately, the creeping paralysis of the ALS disease put a stop to their worldly travels.

As the disease progressed, Glenna’s body became weaker but her bond with Al became stronger. Their unfailing love was on display every day as Al took care of his ailing wife until her passing.

And now, Glenna patiently waits for Al to join her in their most adventurous travels yet—the glorious eternity of Heaven.

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The Moore Family welcomed friends on Monday, July 30 at Sparkman-Hillcrest Funeral Home. Funeral services were held on Tuesday, July 31 at Park Cities Baptist Church.

Memorials can be made in Glenna’s name to:

MDA ALS Division
12750 Merit Drive, Suite #1220
Dallas, TX 75251

UPDATE: July 26, 2007

As mentioned earlier, last weekend was not a good one. Glenna's breathing became very shallow to the point that she experienced tremendous anxiety over breathing. After talking with the doctor, we decided it was time to use morphine to help lessen Glenna’s anxiety. (The morphine has helped a lot.)

We also thought it was time to bring in hospice help. The at-home hospice help is administering the medicines Glenna is receiving and monitoring her condition.

When you start using morphine and hospice help, it becomes obvious we are close to the end. And that is where we are.

— Al Moore

Holding On…

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Last weekend was not a good one.

Glenna is holding on but her breathing has become very shallow and she did not want to leave her recliner chair all weekend. We are changing some of her medications to help with the anguish and anxiety she’s experiencing. However, these are the medicines used during end times.

Although God only knows when he will call one of his children, it does appear that the end is near.

-- Al Moore

HEALTH UPDATE: Report from the ALS Clinic

My Father sent me the following Health Update:

Friday's visit to the ALS clinic revealed Glenna had lost 8 pounds. Given she had lost almost 10 pounds at her previous clinic visit, the staff expressed concern. We’ve been instructed to give her at least 4 cans of Ensure per day. Maintaining one’s weight is a big issue when you have to get all of your food from a liquid through a feeding tube. Glenna’s breathing is very shallow. On the breathing test, she was unable to exhale with enough force to register on the instrument. This is not a good sign. Additionally, Glenna is unable to blow her nose because she simply can't expel enough air.

Doing even the smallest thing tires her out more and more these days—Glenna requires a lot of rest. Today, she will go to the hair dresser and will come home very tired, but will look gorgeous.

An Enduring Friendship — part two

a note from John:
Judy Reagan sent me a collection of vignettes tracing the history and friendship between her family and the Coffey family. This posting is the second of three in the series. Click here to read the first vignette and learn more of the backstory.

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Margaretta brings Hazel to Big Spring
Margaretta had met “Coffey” (as everyone called John Askew) at Baylor, and they married and moved to Big Spring for school jobs after graduation. They convinced Hazel to travel by train to Big Spring in 1929 in order to work in the lab at Bivings and Barcus Hospital (later Malone-Hogan Hospital). Our mom had completed the requirements to become a medical laboratory technician (Texas license #27, if memory serves). After living some time in Big Spring and then in Lubbock, Hazel met our dad, Horace Burney Reagan, the son of early Big Spring settlers, and they married in 1931, making their home in Big Spring.

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Support Group
Long before the term “support group” was fashioned, the Coffeys and the Reagans were faithful friends to one another through all the changes in their lives.

For years, the Coffeys and the Reagans lived just a few blocks apart in Big Spring. One of the really touching stories in the Reagan family history is the help Margaretta gave our family when we were quarantined in 1949 after Frances developed polio.

Despite the quarantine and the universal fear of that virus, Margaretta’s faithfulness and friendship led her to do all of our family’s laundry during the quarantine. The bundles were passed back and forth through our window, then Margaretta must have taken them to a laundromat and used the now-primitive (then-luxurious) mangle washers and now-primitive (then luxurious) hand wringers to complete our family’s task in addition to doing her own family’s laundry.

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Gobble and Wobble
Several neighboring West Texas couples (the Coffeys, the Reagans, Sherman & Ila Smith—all of Big Spring, and Phil & Zelma Berry of Stanton, plus at one point Ira & Lillian Williams and Fay & Hilma Harding) formed their small dinner club, named (doubtless by Margaretta) as “Gobble & Wobble”.

For decades, these couples gathered with their most delicious covered dishes, stuffed themselves and visited, laughed and cried and worried and always supported one another. From time to time, their growing children attended these events, the kids ranging in age from Bob Tom Coffey as the eldest through Ross Reagan as the youngest.

In various configurations, these families occasionally took trips or vacations or hunting trips together. Ross remembers at least one deer hunting trip with Coffey as one of the hunters.

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“Famous” Sayings
Our parents repeatedly quoted Margaretta. As a little girl, Judy (whose expected birth was to be on Margaretta’s birthday—but was delayed a bit) thought our family must be famous to know such a funny person. One statement frequently quoted was “That is the most important odor I ever odored.” In our childhood this was usually said by our dad to comment on one of the numerous skunk odors we encountered in West Texas.

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End of Part Two ... Part Three to come.

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HEALTH UPDATE: The Disease Marches On

I spoke with my Dad today and he passed along noticable changes he’s seen with Glenna.

While ALS progresses differently in each of its victims, it seems to be moving fast with Glenna. As my Dad says, “The disease keeps marching on.” Some of the things she could do last month, she can't do this month or … has a very hard time doing them.

ALS has rendered my Mom’s right-hand almost useless. Her left-hand still has some mobility and dexterity; however, the use of that hand grows weaker by the day. Glenna has been trying to feed herself pudding left-handed but since that hand is weak, Deborah, her superstar caretaker, or Al feeds her the pudding.

If you’ve sent Glenna an email recently and are waiting for a response, be patient. My Dad is now taking dictation and answering her emails.

The good news is Glenna can still move the computer mouse so she’s able to play Solitaire on the computer. Better news is she still manages to work the daily Crossword puzzle and her books of Sudoku puzzles.

Glenna goes to the ALS Clinic on Friday and we should get more specific analysis on how the disease is marching on. More to come…

An Enduring Friendship — part one

a note from John:
Judy Reagan sent me a collection of story vignettes tracing the history and friendship between her family and the Coffey family. This posting is the first of three in the series.

To put the stories in perspective, here's a little background: Margaretta Coffey (Glenna's mom) and Hazel Reagan were best friends. Their daughters, Glenna and Frances, were also the dearest of childhood friends. Judy Regan was the sassy tag-along younger sister of Frances. These childhood kinships have turned into lifelong friendships as Judy, Frances, and Glenna have traveled together, continue to chit-chat often and see each other whenever possible. Judy is no longer the tag-along--she's earned herself full membership in the sisterhood.

Thank Judy for sharing this wonderful multi-family history. (This posting is the first of three in a series.)

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To: Al, Glenna, Lana, Marty, John, Trip, Jackie, Blair, and Hannah …

I think you might enjoy hearing some things about a friendship between two families that now spans over 80 years. The friendship began with admiration and laughter and continues with the same characteristics.

From: Frances, Judy and Ross Reagan

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Margaretta’s Childhood

Glenna’s mother, Margaretta Sanders, was orphaned during her childhood and then raised by her much-older sister, Pearl, who never married (called in those days a “maiden aunt” or “spinster” or “old maid”).

Although I doubt that any of us now living had any encounters with Pearl, we Reagan kids concluded from the sketchiest details that Pearl may have borne some resemblance to the Old Maid in our playing cards. Wow, taking in a whirlwind like Margaretta was surely not an easy transition.

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Margaretta and Hazel Meet

In 1921, our mother Hazel Smyth moved to Fort Worth and entered Central High School where Margaretta was a student. There, Margaretta and Hazel became lifelong friends after meeting the first summer at Broadway Baptist Church.

From our standpoint, that friendship was an especially valuable one for Hazel, for she tended to be quite somber and serious, but she could fall down laughing at one of the Margaretta hilarities. Oh, the tales Hazel, then our dad Horace, told us about Margaretta’s pranks and funny observations of life!

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A Margaretta Bath
After high school, Margaretta went to Baylor University. In 1928 Hazel attended Baylor for a while to take science classes. Margaretta, and Hazel roomed together with a third young woman named Mary Lou McLemore in Baylor’s Burleson Hall (then the sole girls’ dormitory), sleeping in a screened porch with only one double bed.

A phrase originated during that time which we Reagan children later heard often—a playful accusation that one or the other of us had taken a “Margaretta Bath”. It seems that in the Baylor days, the roommates teased Margaretta that her baths consisted solely of climbing in one end of the flowing bathtub, running to the other end of the tub, and hopping right out. Glenna has described her mom as having done everything fast!

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End of Part One ... Parts Two and Three to come.

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Independence Day… from the upstairs

In honor of the Fourth of July holiday, this is a vignette about victory while referencing various battles spanning centuries.

THE BOSTON TEA PARTY: [more like the Boston Celtic t-shirt party] In the spring of 1985, John was a growing young man and with Trip's departure to UT, had the entire upstairs to himself. The newly self-appointed emperor of 7329 Tophill Level 2 apparently marked his territory. One day Mom went upstairs to find a disaster area. Empty plates and dirty utensils decorated the piles of sweaty socks and t-shirts from competitive basketball games. The scene, both visually and aromatically, likely caused post-traumatic stress disorder and called for ‘shock and awe’ retaliation.

THE SECESSION: Commander Moore of the South didn’t exactly secede from the North, rather she exiled the region. She embodied the determination of Eva Peron when she declared “I will never go up there again!”. And she meant it; little did we know how much she meant it. This is the lesson of the story – Glenna says what she means, and means what she says.

THE COLD WAR: It wasn’t a hostile zone, more like a cold war, and diplomatic efforts in the form of a housekeeper disinfecting the area once a week, etc. were provided. The separation continued for 13 YEARS – yes - 13 YEARS! Life was normal; Mom just didn’t go upstairs. Only once do I recall it being an issue when she needed to go out of town on very short notice, and Mom had to wait an hour for the reserves [Dad] to get home and retrieve her suitcase. At some point Glenna even redecorated the 2nd floor without going up one step.

TEAR DOWN THAT WALL: In 1998, after 13 years and all of us mess-making children were gone from the house, Commander Moore re-instated the North, demolished the war stricken site and re-built a beautiful place. If only the current owners knew the rich history of the upstairs!

This story is one of my favorites. Sure, it’s easy to laugh that Mom didn’t go upstairs for 13 years, but I prefer to view it as an example of her commitment and loyalty. Glenna is honest and steadfast in her actions; she walks her talk. There are not many people I can say that about.

-Marty

45th Wedding Anniversary

As Marty referenced in her "Wedding Day Pearls" post, Glenna and Al celebrated their 45th Wedding Anniversary on June 30. It was indeed the Summer of '62 when my parents were married.

As far as any celebration, my parents went the low-key route this year by spending a quiet evening at home with a nice bottle of wine hand-picked by my Father. Speaking of my Dad, this was the homemade Anniversary card I sent my Mother ...

Wedding Day Pearls

Upon entry to this site, there is a picture of Mom as a bride being kissed on each cheek by her parents, and above is a another bridal picture. When viewing these, I am always immediately drawn to the beautiful pearls gracing her neck.

Saturday, June 30, 2007 marks my parents 45th wedding anniversary. The strand of pearls were a gift from Dad to Mom on their wedding day in 1962.

Ladies will enjoy and understand this more than men: some women are "pearl people". I am one of those.

I loved wearing my mom's pearls for special ocassions, and more importantly, loved hearing about them. Despite the beauty of a real, single-knot-between-each-pearl necklace, Mom would sometimes say "Well, they're probably not of the best quality. We were very poor back then". I always laughed. To me, they were the most beautiful piece of jewelry she owned. I borrowed them as often as allowed.

At Christmas 2004, my sister and I were each given a jewelry box; upon opening mine, I knew exactly what was inside - the wedding day pearls. Lana's contained a beautiful emerald bracelet Mom wore at holiday times, and represents Lana's birthstone.

I asked Mom why she gave the necklace to me, and her response was pure Glenna, "When you get older, your neck gets bigger, and I haven't been able to wear those for years. Someday, you will need to pass them on as well". I thank Mother Nature or whomever makes women's necks bigger so I get to enjoy these. I wear them often to work - nothing says class like pearls and a good suit! I also look forward to passing them on when my neck circumference exceeds wedding day pearl capacity.

-Marty

Glenna Moore Slideshow

You'll notice on the right-hand side we've added a link sharing photos. This photo gallery will grow to include many more photos of Glenna so check back often.

Below is slideshow showing Glenna from 18-months old to being a Mother of four young children. Relax and watch as Glenna matures before your eyes...

Marty on Mom ... introduction

Hi Everyone!

As this is essentially the inauguration of www.glennamoore.com, I want to thank you for visiting the site, and encourage you to participate.

My mother’s ALS journey has motivated friends and loved-ones to express their affection for her in a variety of ways – visits, prayer, providing meals (giving Dad a breather!), emails, written notes – whatever suits them best.

Our family has reacted similarly: John’s media know-how spawned this website, and I will contribute weekly postings. I do not promise all postings will be the most amusing, most thought provoking, or even interesting story. I do promise, however, I will keep them as grammar-error-free as best I can; otherwise my mom will feel a failure.

Seriously, I look forward to sharing my memories and thoughts with you. My mom and I not only look very much alike, we also think very much alike, which has led to a wonderful (and frustrating) mother/daughter relationship.

The Moore family appreciates all of your well wishes, and hope you will utilize this site to keep in touch.

-- Marty Moore --

Loves Notes to our Mother

To celebrate Mother’s Day 2007, Glenna’s kids and grandkids put together a video sharing a few wonderful stories about our Mom. The stories are heartfelt, humorous, and some quite darling. Spend a few minutes with the Moore kids talking about the Mother they adore.

Direct link to the video on Google.

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We also celebrated Father’s Day 2007 with a BBQ RIB THROWDOWN. Al loves him some ribs. And we loved this vintage photo of our Dad from back-in-the-day so much that we turned it into our THROWDOWN invitation.

Click below for a bigger image view of the invitation...

HEALTH UPDATE: New Meals and a New Device

For the last couple of weeks we've been pureeing food for Glenna to eat. (It's amazing how well salmon crabs, barbecue ribs, and anything crunchy is able to be pureed.) However, Glenna will be getting more of her daily nourishment from Ensure. This all part of the natural progression with ALS where people are unable to chew food (in particular, chew crunchy tid-bits of food) and thus, they have to drink something silky smooth for nourishment to go down.

Glenna was outfitted with a feeding tube earlier this year. She mainly uses the feeding tube to ingest medicine. At some point, all her food will probably be ingested through the feeding tube. For now, we are transitioning to drinking Ensure.

Talking-wise, Glenna's speech has been reduced to garbled utterances. She's been using a low-tech Fisher Price Doodle Pro to write out specific words. That simple childhood toy has worked great. Now, Glenna is upgrading and learning to use a high-tech DynaVox device (shown below) to communicate what she wants to say.

This DynaVox device is basically a laptop enabled with a digitized speech generator. Glenna can press a touch-screen button for common sayings like, “Please move my feet.” and the DynaVox will voice that exact sentence. She can also use the device in more complicated ways to talk. But really, this high-tech device will come in handy when Glenna plays Dominoes with her friends and needs to say, “Use this to start my train." (To view the screen, click here.)

Every day brings new problems and we experiment to find new solutions. Bottles of Ensure, the Doodle Pro, and the DynaVox speech generating device are helping to solve for Glenna's difficulties with eating and speaking.

Share Your Story

You’ve read and heard our stories about Glenna Moore. We’d like to read and hear YOUR STORIES about Glenna.

Any story from any time in Glenna’s life would be great. As her children, we’d love to hear more stories about her rebellious college years when she would catch a few drags off a cigarette outside a Baylor University dorm. Maybe you have a funny story to share about Glenna’s years spent playing tennis with the T Bar M Tamales ... playing Bridge ... playing Dominoes. Or perhaps, you’d like to share a story from her childhood spent in Big Spring, TX.

Please share your story about Glenna Moore and we'll post it on this website.

We prefer to receive stories no longer than 1,200 words but will certainly accept any story of any length. Please email your story to me.

Well Wishes to Glenna

Living with ALS is a huge burden on my Mother. Some days she gets sad knowing she is unable to live the active life she did in the past. I keep reminding my Mother of all the joy she brings people. She not only brings joy to people when they see her, she also brings people together. Bringing people together is the gift my Mom is giving us all while she suffers through ALS. In some ways I think Glenna has been called to bear the pain of ALS so that people she knows and loves can be brought together.

It truly has been special to know that so many of my Mom's friends visit her. My Mother cherishes these moments. If you would like to share some well wishes with Glenna, please do so in the comments section. My Mom would love to hear from you.

Al Courts Glenna

As they finished dinner recently, my parents started reminiscing about their first dates. Luckily, I had my video camera nearby and was able to capture some precious stories and heartfelt footage.

Al and Glenna have been married for nearly 45 years and to hear the unbridled joy in my Dad’s voice thrills me. He truly found the greatest love of all. Enjoy.

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Direct link to the video on Google

Glenna’s Scrapbook Memories

Glenna’s mother, Margaretta, was active in keeping scrapbooks throughout her life. Luckily, many of Margaretta’s scrapbooks have survived the years and are still in good enough condition to flip through the pages.

Before ALS progressed with my mother, she shared stories about the people and the photos from a scrapbook her Mom crafted for her when she was a young child.

The following video documentary shares amusing childhood stories from my Mom’s remarkable life. Enjoy.

[NOTE: The audio for this documentary was recorded in August of 2006.]

Glenna Moore and Her Friends

Glenna has been living with ALS for many months now. She spends a lot of her time resting to ensure she has enough strength to meet with the many friends who drop by for a visit. My Mom’s friends are coming from all over Texas and the United States to swap stories. They laugh, they cry, they reminisce. Glenna cherishes these moments.

In the following audio streams, you will notice a significant change in my Mother’s voice from the past video documentaries I have shared. The audio for those videos was recorded in August of 2006 and her voice was still strong and sharp. The audio accompanying the photos below was recorded on February 7, 2007 and my Mom’s speech has been affected greatly by the onset of ALS. Her speech is now slow, slurred, forced, and gravelly.

But my Mom’s courage, grace, and fortitude are as resolute as ever!

ALS is robbing my Mother of her motor skills but it WILL NOT take-a-way her people skills. Sure, she struggles to talk but the sparkle in her eyes are still as bright as they have always been! You can even hear the sparkle in her eyes as she talks about these photos. To listen, click the 'play' button below each photo.

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Glenna and Her College Friends
Every two months my Mom’s college friends from Baylor University drop by to visit. These aren’t just college friends, these are former college roommates. They’ve known each other for over 50 years. They are dear, dear friends of my Mom.

>> Click here to listen.

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Glenna and Her High School Friends
My Mom grew up in Big Spring, TX and in December of 2006, a group of her High School friends gathered in Dallas for a weekend filled with conversation, laughter, and great food. These life-long friends mean so much to my Mother.

>> Click here to listen.

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Glenna and Her Bridge Group
For the past 30+ years, a special group of ladies in Dallas have met to play Bridge. In the beginning, they actually played Bridge but these days they chat more than they play Bridge. All of the ladies in this photo at one time lived in the same neighborhood in Dallas. My Mom adores everyone in this group.

>> Click here to listen.

Glenna's Warriors | MDA Donation

As the son of Glenna Moore, I am so proud to share the results of a fundraising activity which raised $16,000 to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

Last Saturday, a team comprised of Tech Plan employees joined together to raise funds at the Dallas-area MDA Stride & Ride event. (Note: Tech Plan is my Dad’s company.) The team called themselves GLENNA’S WARRIORS and wore t-shirts with the words, “Bravehearts for a Brave Heart.”

Unfortunately I was unable to join the Glenna’s Warriors army but I’m thrilled with the love and support Tech Plan employees showed to my Mother and to the ALS cause. Thank you big-time to everyone involved!!!!

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The Summer of ‘62

UPDATED: Click here to view the updated SUMMER OF '62 video

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Over the Christmas break, I put together the third mini-documentary in the series. This short video shares the story of an incomplete poem my Father first began writing to my Mother in the early 70s. My Father titled the poem — The Summer of ’62 — because it was June of 1962 when Glenna Keith Coffey married William Alvin Moore Jr.

The poem traces the shared life they’ve lived together. Through the years, my Father has periodically updated the poem to add new verses to reflect new shared experiences. It’s an incomplete poem because they are still sharing wonderful life experiences together as husband and wife. Enjoy.

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Glenna Moore -- The Summer of ‘62
click the 'play button' below to view

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Direct link to the video on Google

And Here Come the Children

The ALS disease is progressing as expected with my Mother. Which means ... each day Glenna Moore finds doing everyday activities like talking, writing, and swallowing a little more difficult to do. She gets around using a nifty scooter and takes more naps during the day to help keep her energy level high at opportune times. This Thanksgiving weekend provided my Mom lots of opportune times to spend with her grandchildren.

I recently completed the second mini-documentary sharing stories and memories from my Mother. It shares photos of all the Moore children beginning with Lana, then Trip, and it closes with the twins—Marty and John (me). With each photo of the children, my Mother shares quick stories and memories. Enjoy.

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Glenna Moore -- And Here Come The Children
click the 'play button' below to view

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Direct link to the video on Google

ALS Hits Home & The Wedding Story

My mother, Glenna Moore, was recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. This diagnosis didn’t come as a surprise to the family as her “creeping paralysis” has become much more pronounced in the last few months.

ALS is a neurological disease where motor neurons from the brain stop reaching one’s muscles. When muscles no longer receive neurons, muscles cease to move. And when muscles stop moving, paralysis sets in. There is no cure for ALS and patients that suffer from this disease live a life of work-arounds.

At first, patients use a cane to help steady themselves when walking. And when walking becomes too challenging, patients start using walkers, wheelchairs, and scooters as their work-around to get around. Patients also lose the ability to move their arms and hands and thus need to find new ways to write, eat, dress, etc. One’s speech also becomes affected and eventually, ALS patients lose their ability to speak.

But patients do not lose the ability of their mind, nor the sparkle in their eyes. Dementia does not set in with ALS patients and that is what makes this disease so devastating. Sufferers suffer from the inability to move their voluntary muscles but they do not lose the ability to mentally comprehend what is happening to their body. Eventually, ALS patients lose the ability of their involuntary muscles, namely the ability to breathe, and subsequently patients lose their life.

As I mentioned, the family wasn’t surprised to learn of the ALS diagnosis and I had mentally and spiritually prepared myself for that diagnosis months ago.

And it was months ago when I began a special project to capture some of the stories my mom knows. Glenna Moore is our family historian and resident storyteller. She knows so much about intimate relatives and distant relatives. Unfortunately, I’ve never paid much attention to her stories through the years. I realize now … that’s my loss.

So to make up for my past mistakes of not paying enough attention to her stories, I sat down with my mother in August and recorded her telling stories while she shared family photos with me. I plan to turn her stories and photos into mini-documentaries. The first mini-documentary I’ve put together shares the story of the wedding between my parents, Al and Glenna Moore.

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Glenna Moore -- The Wedding Story
click the 'play button' below to view

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Direct link to the video on Google

Glenna Living with ALS

In October of 2006, my mother, Glenna Moore, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

On this website, we will share updates on her health, video documentaries, and memorable stories from her remarkable life. (You can also receive updates on new postings by email. Scroll a bit and follow directions in the box on the right-hand column.)

If you have a funny, memorable, or interesting story to share about your friend, Glenna Moore, please click on the "Share Your Story" button featured on the right-side panel. We will gladly post your story on this website. You can also post "Well Wishes" to Glenna by clicking on the button. Thanks.