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BY ROZELLA HARDIN
Editorial Director
rozella.hardin@elizabethton.com
Webster dictionary describes conventional as “what is generally done or believed.” Elizabeth Ann Glover was not your ordinary person. She was the first lady to be an equipment operator with Summers-Taylor Construction Company and was also the first female member of the Hampton-Valley Forge Volunteer Fire Department.
In the beginning of her employment with Summers-Taylor, Ann, as she was known to family and friends, was a “flagman” and after working at that job for a time, she became a stone roller. Thus, she helped smooth out pavement and polish a project. One of the projects she worked on and was most proud of was the I-26 road from Erwin to the state line. “She was good at what she did. She was never ever afraid of hard work, and as I recall she missed very few days of work for any reason,” said her son, Greg Largent.
One of her more conventional jobs – in her younger days – was a cafeteria worker at Hampton Elementary School.
Ann was 75 years old when she died November 21 in the Johnson City Medical Center. “Mom was a tough lady and she took pride in her work. She was a good mother, but she was strict. She challenged me and my brothers to be the best we could be, work hard, and be honest,” said Greg.
In addition to Greg, Ann was mother to Heath Largent, who lives in Dallas, Tx., and Daniel, of the home. She had four grandchildren and one great-grandson.
Ann, along with Karen Vestal and Pearl Clemons, were the first female firefighters for the Hampton Volunteer Fire Department. “My step-dad, Henry “Bud” Glover, was also a firefighter as was me and my brothers. They knew when they called our house to answer a firecall, they were going to get five firefighters,” said Greg.
He shared that when he was in high school he got a call to come to the office. “I was 18 at the time, and a teacher handed me the keys to their car and said your mother has gone on a fire call alone, go help her. Whatever Mom needed to do, she did it, or at least tried. She was not one to sit back and watch,” said Greg.
Aside from work, Ann enjoyed crafts, especially ceramics. “She did a lot of ceramics at the Stateline Gift Shop in Valley Forge. She made ceramics for gifts,” Greg shared.
She was not one for vacations or shopping, however, Ann did like to occasionally go to Cades Cove in the Smokies.
One of her loves was animals. “She loved animals of all kinds, especially dogs and cats. She was always known to have at least two of each all the time. She fed every dog and cat around, and she did not like to see any animal mistreated,” Greg shared.
Friends and neighbors, who knew Ann, loved her. A friend wrote on the funeral home tribute page: “She and Bud’s strength as a couple was remarkable and their love for all God’s creatures, large and small, will always be remembered.”
Another wrote: “Ann was a great woman, friend and family member, and mother figure. I loved her dearly.”
Greg said his mother was a good cook and enjoyed breakfast food. “She fixed it a lot for supper,” he said.
He also shared that his mother taught him to cook, sew, and iron when he was a boy. She said it was things we needed to learn in case we had to do them.
Greg said his mother quit school when she was a sophomore in high school and got married. However, she later completed her studies and received a GED diploma. “She encouraged us to get an education so we wouldn’t have to work hard,” he said.
“My mom was a good mother, a good neighbor and a good friend. She was always there to help if needed. Regardless of what she did, she took pride in her work,” Greg said.
The one word he used to describe his mother was “resilient.” A resilient person is able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. That was Elizabeth Ann Glover…she was tough, but gentle, too.
(A celebration of life service will be held for Elizabeth Ann Glover at 7 p.m. Friday. Dec. 8, at Pearce’s Chapel Free Will Baptist Church.)