Jean Helene Glassberg died May 29, 2025, three weeks after her 88th birthday. She was born in the Bronx, New York. Her family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, for a healthier life for her brother, who suffered from asthma. She arrived in Phoenix in time to begin high school, but always considered herself “a Bronx girl.” After she married a boy from the University of Arizona, they moved to Tucson, where they started their family and lived until their deaths.
With a passion for education and helping children, Jean graduated from Arizona State University and began a long and successful teaching career in Tucson, teaching 4th and 5th grade at District One (now TUSD) schools for more than 30 years, retiring in 1999. She was loved by her students, who still remember her fondly for her patience and kindness, and for instilling in them a love of learning.
Jean’s greatest passions were for her family and her friends. She loved and was loved, becoming a second mom to her children’s friends and classmates and a second “Goggy” (what the grandkids called her) to her grandchildren’s friends. She never missed a grandchild’s game or a match, proudly cheering them on, almost as enthusiastically as she cheered on her University of Arizona Wildcats Basketball team!
Jean was an avid reader and the consummate hostess, joyfully hosting holiday and celebratory dinners, brunches, and any excuse for a good party. She loved to walk and exercise, walking at least two miles daily and even more in the summers. The beach was her place, and she could be found in San Diego, Coronado, or Oceanside, California, each summer, soaking up the sun, collecting shells, and enjoying time with her children and grandchildren. She loved good food and especially a glass of red wine at the end of each day.
Jean was predeceased by her husband of 60 years, Marvin Glassberg. She is survived by her children, Sharon (Alan Rockowitz) and Steven (Sandra Gallagher), and eight grandchildren: Adam and Aaron Bukani, Sarah Rockowitz, Jonah (Jessica Keating) Rockowitz, Connor and Kelsey Glassberg, Sedona (Logan) Forbis, and Saiorse Gallagher. She died as she lived, with dignity and a sense of humor, surrounded by her family. Jean leaves a legacy of kindness, care, empathy, and laughter.
Contributions in her memory can be made to Tucson Medical Center Hospice or the nonprofit of your choice.
