William Glankler's Obituary
William Albert Glankler was born in Memphis, Tennessee on January 3, 1946 and passed away peacefully on December 9, 2024 in the memory care unit of the Summit at Germantown.
William, known as “Butch” to his friends and family, had numerous interests and pursuits. He enjoyed chess, paint ball, military history, and foreign travel. For over fifty years Butch, along with several friends, played strategy and war-themed board games, some of which they co-designed and others they tested for major game companies.
Butch and his friends also participated in Civil War reenactments—which are living history events where participants experience that period of time during the 1860s, often staying in character throughout the event, sleeping in tents and eating food cooked over open fires.
He traveled to numerous countries with his partner Dr. Laura Crane—who passed away in 2023. Both were huge cat lovers, and they had numerous feline friends who lived with them at their large country home in Williston, Tennessee.
Butch served honorably in the U.S. Army where he did a tour of duty in Vietnam. Afterwards, he worked in IT for several years at Cylix, a high-speed data company, before joining FedEx, where he worked until his retirement.
Butch was well-liked and much loved by those who knew him. He was generous to a fault, and was always willing to help his friends in any way he could. He had a tremendous sense of humor and a deep intelligence across a wide range of disciplines where he was able to analyze, interpret, and connect complex information—often with his own unique perspective. For many of us, Butch was the “go to” person for answers to quirky and esoteric questions.
The world has lost one of its last true Southern gentlemen. From opening doors to escorting women to their cars or front steps, he always made women feel protected and secure. Even in his last months at the Summit at Germantown, as he suffered from dementia, the female nurses and aides reported with smiles that “Mr. Butch” was gentle, respectful, humorous, and very flirtatious.
An aide told me that one day while sitting at a table with Butch she mentioned she was thirsty for a Coca-Cola. Although he wasn’t able to even move his wheelchair from one location to the other, he told her: “I will go get you one.”
That was the Butch Glankler we will always love and remember.
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