For 15 years, Florence Glassman showed up for work and never took home a paycheck.
The Jewish Home offered to pay her for her tireless work organizing and running its gift shop, but Glassman refused. She did the job because she loved it.
Glassman, 87, died Thursday, Feb. 8 in San Francisco. She was treated like a celebrity around the Home.
“Everyone knew her — she hoped that residents would find coming to the shop a highlight of their day,” said Carole Burns, director of volunteer services at the Jewish Home.
“She knew her customer base,” she added. “She spent time with the residents so she knew what they liked, and she really kept an eye out for that when she was buying. It made her really happy to tell them, ‘I’m sure you’ll love what I’ve got.'”
Glassman always had an interest in fashion and business, so running the Jewish Home’s store was a natural fit. She and her late husband, Abe Glassman, ran Mister G’s and Elwoods fashion stores, for which she bought and managed the jewelry and accessories until Abe died in 1971.
“She had an unbelievable flair for fashion and jewelry, and she was groomed all the time,” said Andria Glassman, her daughter. “She never walked out the front door unless she was really put together.”
Florence Glassman also had an emotional depth, Andria said. She described her mother with a bevy of adjectives: Insightful, witty, trustworthy, magnetic, original, a good friend and a workaholic.
Glassman was born in Stockton and moved to San Francisco in 1940.
Andria said her mother thrived on being busy and feeling needed — the Jewish Home’s gift shop fulfilled both.
“It was important to her not only because she was from a Jewish background, but also because she got a lot of satisfaction out of doing a mitzvah for the residents,” Andria said.
In addition to her daughter and Andria’s longtime partner Rick Taylor, Glassman is survived by her son, Lynne Glassman, and wife Diana.
Services were held Sunday, Feb. 11 at the Home of Peace Cemetery Chapel in Colma.