In memory of Michael Glissman

Offering comfort and peace to Gary and Paula, his loving parents

In memory of Michael Glissman image
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Offering comfort and peace to Gary and Paula, his loving parents

Michael Kenneth Glissman
July 5, 1984 – June 23, 2022

Like all of us, Michael was a complicated individual with many different talents and challenges but underneath everything he was a kind and gentle soul. He loved his family and friends and virtually all animals but particularly his dog, Max and his cat, Maynard. He made friends easily but struggled with relationships primarily because of his persistent depression, anxiety and self-esteem. He always just wanted to feel and be “normal”, but sadly this was a big challenge for him for most of his adult life.

He was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran church and spent years in the Boy Scouts and eventually became an Eagle Scout. He was very proud of that accomplishment which included a 70 mile wilderness hike at Philmont in the New Mexico mountains and his Eagle project where he led a team that made a dozen dog houses for the Humane Society. He made frequent visits to many different Humane Societies and animal rescue organizations through the years and adopted a number of cats during that time. He had a special love for all animals (including stuffed ones which we frequently teased him about). I think he just felt connected with animals and appreciated their unconditional love, much as he did with his family. Almost all cats and dogs recognized this and would come to him constantly when he was around.

He also took a lot of pride in his work with cars. He could do things with paint restoration that was simply amazing and became quite an expert at understanding what was needed to make any car look brand new. He developed a successful independent business around this work and always delivered the absolute best results for his customers who were very appreciative of his service quality.

He was very close to his mom and always relied on her to help him when he got into trouble for different things, especially when his dad would get angry with him. Mom could make things better and he really knew how much she loved him. The same was true for both of his grandmothers and grandfathers. He would spend hours with them when he was younger, always wanting to know more about their past history and experiences growing up. He had many close ties with his immediate and extended family that were very important to him and a source of support that helped him during tough times.

He struggled with the challenges from a genetic condition called Klinefelter Syndrome. He was not diagnosed with this until he was 24 so he did not get the medical or mental health care he needed to effectively deal with this condition during the years when it would have been most helpful. As a result he tried to self-treat his depression and anxiety with drugs and alcohol at a young age that resulted in many challenges physically, emotionally and legal. He also developed complicated medical conditions that required constant management which became more and more difficult for him as time went on. He survived a number of serious, life-threatening experiences that most of us would find impossible, including a two month confinement in an ICU connected to kidney dialysis and a ventilator. We always told him he was a lot stronger than most people to live through these situations.

He completed a number of rehab programs for his addictions and each time we all felt he was getting closer to getting these demons under control but they just would not go away despite all of his desire, efforts and work to have a simple, successful life. We will always remember all of the positive things he gave back to the world and hope he is finally at peace with himself and the universe. He will be greatly missed by many people but particularly his mom and dad who loved him very much.