Margaret Doran Glaser, early trans-Atlantic flight attendant, dies at 96

Everything in Margaret Doran Glaser's life was done with gusto.

Whether it was making history as one of the first trans-Atlantic airline flight attendants, sharing her compassion with others as a nurse, or creating memories with her loving family — Marge, as she was affectionately known — knew how to make an impression. She died of natural causes on Jan. 2 at age 96.

"Mom was delightfully blunt, humorously feisty, and witty. She was always the go-to person in our lives," said son James Glaser, 71, of St. James.

Born in New York on April 23, 1925, Marge Glaser (nee Gildersleeve) was an avid music lover of Irish and Dutch lineage who later would be a longtime resident of Centerport. She grew up on the North Fork and sang in the Mattituck High School glee club and played the glockenspiel in the school's marching band. Her adventurous spirit and compassionate nature led her to pursue a career in nursing. She earned her registered-nurse certification at Mary Immaculate Hospital in Jamaica, Queens.

After World War II, Marge Glaser leaped at the chance to become one of the first trans-Atlantic flight attendants when she was hired by American Overseas Airlines, which required its flight attendants to be registered nurses. It was on the job that she met her future husband, Edwin H. Glaser.

"Mom was a stewardess on a flight piloted by my dad. They were introduced by my dad's co-pilot and they hit it off instantly," James Glaser said of his parents, who married in 1948. "Bicycle rides together in the Irish countryside on layovers eventually led to a loving 45-year marriage." Edwin Glaser died in 1993.

After she left the airlines to get married and start a family, Marge Glaser and her husband settled in the postwar Levittown housing development for four years before moving to Centerport, where they built a high-ranch home and raised three children.

James Glaser said his favorite memory of his mother incorporates the musical, religious and comical aspects of her personality.

"I joined the choir because of my mother. It was Christmas Eve around 11:15 and everyone was up on the altar getting ready for midnight Mass. Three carols in, someone fainted, the kid next to me walked off, the whole thing was falling apart — and I'm supposed to sing a solo verse of 'Silent Night.' I look up to see my mother looking down from St. Philip Neri's choir loft, mouthing ... 'Sing, damn it!' That's the night I earned my stage legs, and I never could have done it without her backing me up," he said.

A dedicated stay-at-home mom, who James Glaser always remembers as "a beautiful, fair-skinned lady with blue eyes and dark hair who loved to sing," Marge Glaser was never shy about belting out an Irish tune. She continued her lifelong love of music by singing in the alto section of the adult choir at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Centerport and, later, in the adult choir at the St. Philip Neri Parish in Northport.

"My mother was such a loving and giving person, anyone who knew her would tell you that," said James Glaser. "Ever the vigilant nurse, she developed the reputation of being the first responder whenever there was a neighborhood emergency. 'Call Marge Glaser!' was the recurring refrain. That's just who she was."

Marge Glaser's love of adventure and travel took her all over the world. From a 1972 African photo safari in the Serengeti plains of Kenya with her husband to a once-in-a-lifetime, around-the-world trip with her family — awarded by Pan American World Airways when her husband retired as an international airline captain after 33 years of service — Glaser was filling photo albums with new memories well into her 80s.

"I'll never forget Mom's gutsy solo drive to Florida and back at the age of 75 to visit relatives," James Glaser said of his mother's fierce independence. "In 2005, at the age of 80, she made a Catholic spiritual pilgrimage and flew with my sister and cousin ... to visit Medjugorje" in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Marge Glaser eventually moved to Smithtown, where she was a 10-year resident of Sunrise Senior Living. One of her caregivers, Deidre Nurse, called Glaser a "firecracker," and said she "misses her very much."

"Margaret was a pistol. She had a great sense of humor and would always make you laugh," said Nurse. "If you met her, you would never forget her."

Nurse recalled how appreciative she was of the simplest helpful tasks, like getting her ready and doing her hair.

"She loved to be dressed up. When she came down for breakfast, she had to wear red lipstick and earrings," said Nurse. "Margaret added a lot of color to this home; we were blessed to have her."

A funeral Mass was celebrated for Glaser, a dedicated Catholic, at St. Patrick Church in Smithtown during which members of the choir sang "Mary, Mary," a Marian hymn written by James Glaser.

"We gave her life the sweetest musical send-off. It was beautiful," her son said. "Her death was like a gentle landing."

In addition to her son James, Glaser is survived by her son John Glaser of Lake Ronkonkoma; her daughter, Marianne Glaser of Port Jefferson; two grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. She was interred at her husband’s site in Calverton National Cemetery in Calverton.