Glenn Mears Jr. passed away at Mercy Hospital on Sunday August 14, 2022. Born April 4, 1939 to Orum Glenn Mears Sr. and Irene Mears (ne Johnson) in New Philadelphia, Glenn moved with his family to Canton, Ohio in the 1940's. He was a member of the last graduating class of Middlebranch High School in 1957 where he was involved in many athletic activities, including as the football team's starting quarterback.
Glenn raised a family of three sons with the now deceased Dana Mears (ne Christman) while moving about the state of Ohio. In 1968, he joined his father in the family business known then as Park Honda and Marine. He was president of the Ohio Motorcycle Dealers Association for several years in the 1970's. He and his brother John expanded the business by building a chain of automobile dealerships including Park Honda, Park Acura, and Park Mazda. He and John were most proud of the employees they backed or assisted to become dealers themselves in the Canton and Akron areas. Later, he accomplished a long held desire and owned two Harley Davidson dealerships with partners. He was equally successful with motorcycles.
Later in life he devoted considerable attention to charities. His support went beyond financial by using a closely guarded family recipe for barbecue chicken. At his height, he and his team annually served thousands to raise funds for charities throughout the area. In 1979 he co-founded the Stark County Wrestling Scholarship Fund which has helped hundreds of students with nearly $500,000 in scholarships. In 2019 he donated the proceeds from the sale of 10 vintage cars from his collection to the fund. In recent years he was a strong supporter of The Lawrence School in Broadview Heights. Behind the scenes, he assisted many people directly in a time of need.
He was perhaps most happy and in his place as the host of parties surrounded by family and friends. The best included Jimmy and the Soulblazers and, of course, the family chicken. All were welcome. He made sure to pass on his knowledge and skills with chicken to his step-son, Nate.
He is survived by his wife Peggy Anne Mears; those three sons, Orum Glenn III, Mark Calvin and Christopher John; step-children Sean (Rebecca) Russell and Cassi (Nate) Oakes; daughters in law Renee Miskimmin, Erica Mears, Karen Katz; grandchildren Kepler, Seth, Clay, Dylan, Cory, Carmen, Sienna, Jovie and recently born Keaton; and de facto brother Ray Dysle.
A memorial service will be held at Lake Cable Clubhouse, 5725 Fulton Rd NW, Canton Ohio on Saturday August 27th at 3 PM. The service will be followed by a reception from 4 to 6 PM. The next day, August 28th an Irish Wake with bagpipes will be held at the Barrel Room, 7901 North Cleveland Ave, NW, North Canton, Ohio from 3 to 6 PM. All are welcome to both events.
For those who wish, memorial contributions can be made out to "North Canton City Schools" and sent to North Canton City School Scholarships, Attn: Glenn Mears Jr. Scholarship, 525 7th Street NE, North Canton, OH. 44720. An online memorial can be viewed at www.karlofh.com.
Published in Akron Beacon Journal