Remembering Mitch Glassman

We are shocked and so sorry to hear of Mitch’s passing. May his memory be a blessing. Mitch z”l and Judy z”l had been our wonderful neighbors  and friends since we moved into E211 in 2013. We were saddened by Judy’s passing and we kept in close contact with Mitch throughout his various treatments. Even though we are away from Cambridge already for two months, we corresponded with Mitch on February 15th, and promised upon our return to visit him in the new apartment which he so loved. We will very much miss having Mitch in The Esplanade.  Jane and I send our condolences and wish strength to all his family and friends. May Mitch have the eternal and peaceful rest he so much deserves.

Thank you for passing on Mitch’s sad passing to us. Best wishes to you all!

Saludo,

Ron Gomes Casseres

I first met Mitch when he was the “little bother.” He was about 9 years old and I was about 14 years old. I dated his sister Cindy. She and Mitch lived a few blocks away from my house in Newton. Cindy and I stopped dating after a year or so but when he was in his teens in high school he dated my sister Sue who was in the same grade. When I was in high school, one of my best friends lived a few houses away from the Glassman home. I would often stop by the Glassman home on my way to Roger’s house and say hello to the Glassman family as Mitch’s parents, Cindy and Mitch were so welcoming.

I graduated from High School in 1959 and I didn’t see Mitch again for the next 62 years until Barbara and I moved into the Esplanade in 2021. When I heard his name I looked him up and sure enough, Esplanade Mitch was the same Mitch I knew earlier. Among other things, he was taller and his voice was deeper.

Mitch and I instantly became friendly. We visited his Truro home, his refuge that he so adored. He visited our Wellfleet summer home and we had dinner together in Provincetown. We also had wonderful dinners at his apartment and ours. I think we also had a few lunches at Batifol where he seemed to live when he was not at either the Esplanade or his studio in the South End.

Mitch was always a pleasure to be with. He always greeted us with a big smile and was filled with big ideas about art and philosophy. After he got sick and was hospitalized for so long we saw him less often. He also could not spend much time in Truro so it was harder to connect during the four months when we were in Wellfleet. We missed seeing Mitch during that period but enjoyed bumping into him occasionally in the Esplanade lobby or while on a walk. We will miss him. He fought so hard to survive. It’s so sad that he did not win that battle. He was wonderful caring talented person.

Michael Altman

Mitch was an Esplanade resident who died last week following a valiant struggle against cancer. I originally met and knew Mitch from the men’s book club and a film discussion group where he saw himself as the “designated contrarian”.  Mitch was a very personable and enthusiastic individual with many interests. He loved his extended family. He was an active artist with his own painting studio and an avid foreign traveler and hiker. He was very curious and loved talking to people he met on his walks and when dining out. In addition to his interest and participation in the goings-on of the Esplanade, he loved his home in Truro on the Cape. He will be missed. There was another interesting link for me.  The Blue Ribbon Bakery was a very large building in my neighborhood when I was growing up in Kingston,Pa. It had a siren that sounded to end the work day at 7pm that could be heard everywhere. That was everyone’s signal to go home. It was owned by the Levy family who also owned a large playground and ballfield next door to the bakery. Mitch’s wife Judy Levy Glassman was a grand-daughter of the Levys. This connection provided a “small world” moment for us.  

 Fred Davis

Susan Barron interviewed Mitch in 2019 for our Neighbors feature, which you can. read here.