Cheryl McLaughlin Glaessner

Cheryl McLaughlin Glaessner, age 67, died on Wednesday July 3, 2019 in Washington, DC. She was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on March 11, 1952. An adventurous, energetic spirit from a very young age, Cheryl grew up loving a variety of animals, especially horses, cats and dogs. She received her B.A. in social work from Colorado State University (1974), her M.A. in counseling from the American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts (1976), and her Ed.D in teaching and administration from Virginia Tech (1987). For 11 years, Cheryl was director of the Human Services Degree Program at Northern Virginia Community College, where she also enjoyed a long successful teaching career. Cheryl loved teaching grade school age students how to read and eventually transitioned to a career as a reading specialist. This enabled her to meet individually with students in many D.C. area schools, as well as from her home, where she worked as a private tutor.

In her community of Carderock Springs in Bethesda, Maryland, Cheryl was known for her yearly “Trick or Treat for UNICEF” drive during Halloween, as well as numerous other pursuits she took on to help those in need. She was a great listener, a person who made her friends and neighbors feel valued and important, and a passionate owner of many poodles, including Fudge, Maudie, Reecie, Mosley and Babette. For a tiny woman, she was also known for having a ton of spunk. She was always ready to speak her mind and to fiercely protect those that she loved and cared about.

Cheryl will be forever remembered by her soulmate, Tom Glaessner, husband of 37 years, her two beloved children, Max and Sonya Glaessner, and their spouses, Katy Sherry and Bobby Maher. Close relatives include her brother Mike McLaughlin, his wife Candy, mother-in-law Elisabeth Glaessner, in-laws Phil Glaessner and wife, Ellen, Barbara Glaessner and husband Giles, Tina Glaessner, and nieces and nephews too numerous to name, all of whom loved her immensely.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Cheryl’s memory can be made in her name to The National Center for Learning Disabilities, https://www.ncld.org/ or the Old Friends Dog Sanctuary, https://ofsds.org