Clarice Glubaskas

Clarice (Clare) Diane (Woods) Glubaskas was “famously” known as “the Jam Lady on Lakeshore”. She made the best strawberry-rhubarb jam, salsa, dilly beans, spicy okra, and so much more. Needless to say, throughout her life, she was memorable and beloved to many.

Clare (80) passed away peacefully on June 10, 2023.

Clare’s life began in Detroit, Michigan on May 21, 1943 to father, Wilfred (Paul) Woods, and mother, Evelyn Woods (both deceased) and known as Puppa and Mamie to their grandkids. She had an older brother, Donald (Donny) Woods (deceased).  Paul and Evelyn proceeded to have two more children. It soon became apparent that Clare, as their big sister would rule the roost, but not without a fair amount of grief from her little brothers, Leroy (Lee) Woods and Paul Woods (deceased).  Lee always said that she was a great sister! In spite of this, they terrorized her endlessly with many snake pranks, which probably explains her lifelong fear of them.

Clare was funny and kind, she loved to sing (off key and at the top of her lungs), dance, and tell funny stories-using her whole body to act them out. Clare was a social person who easily made friends and was the always the life of the party.  Growing up, she had two life-long, best friends, Sandy LeLonde and Sharon Woods. Clare and Sandy met when Sandy was 5 years old and Clare was 3 years old.  The first time Clare saw Sandy, she threw rocks at her and that’s how it all began.  As you can imagine, Sandy was a bit upset with her new neighbor and ran home, crying to her mom. Sandy’s mom said, “I think that little girl’s lonely, why don’t you go back and introduce yourself”? Apparently, Sandy never forgot their first meeting, though. She set Clare up as the perpetrator of many of their pranks, leaving her hanging out to dry…a lot. The two of them even duped Lee and Paul with lunch one afternoon…main ingredient: dog food.  This prank was either a colossal fail or a roaring success, you decide. The boys loved that lunch!

Clare and Sharon met while Clare was still married to her first husband, George Micks. Sharon started babysitting for their children, Theresa (Micks) Runyan, Tracy Micks and Thomas (Tommy) Micks.  Eventually, Sharon, married Clare’s brother, Paul, when he returned from Vietnam. Paul introduced them to his biker gang and they road with biker clubs, had a ball at “highway man’s hill”, and went to parties and bonfires together.  They were even roomies for a while and worked together at Biff’s, a burger place in downtown Detroit. That’s where Clare met her husband of over 50 years, Louis (Lou or Louie) Glubaskas, the Detroit “cop”.

Clare demonstrated throughout her life that she had lots of grit and gumption. After almost a decade, one more husband, and another kid later, Timothy (Timmy) Glubaskas, she decided to get her high school diploma and become a registered nurse.  Once she made up her mind, she never looked back. She graduated at the top of her class from Schoolcraft College’s nursing program in 1977 and went on to work at Botsford Hospital in Redford, Michigan. Beginning as an emergency nurse, she then became a Head Nurse.  After many years, she shifted gears and went to Ford Motor Company’s, Wayne Assembly plant to work as an Industrial Nurse.

It was Clare’s lifelong dream to eventually live on the “Tit” (Tittabawassee River). It was her “happy place” when she was growing up. Theresa, Tracy, and Tommy spent two blissful weeks every summer up on the “Tit” with Mom, Timmy (aka the Little Prince), Lou, Mamie, and Puppa.  So, when Clare and Lou retired, they moved to Gladwin, Michigan to live on the “Tit”, where they had a revolving door for family and friends. Clare felt like her time with her grandkids, Trisha, Tatum, Timmy, Zach, Taylor, Jake, and Tarah was extra-special.  She taught (or tried to teach) a couple of them to cross-stitch and paint. Some of her fondest memories were making and eating “Virtiniais” (Lithuanian Potato-Meat Dumplings), fried in butter, and served with a cottage cheese and sour cream concoction.  She spent hours with the grandkids on rainy days, coloring, playing games, and putting puzzles together.  There weren’t many rules, but the “Nine to Nine Rule” carried a lot of weight: “Go away between 9 PM and 9 AM.” Come back for breakfast and I’ll feed you all day. You can swim and fish, and I’ll take you out on the pontoon (she played the 8-track Elvis tape, stuck in the player, over and over again…singing with Elvis at the top of her lungs).

Clare and Lou continued this tradition when they bought their condo – the 6th floor “penthouse” in Panama City Beach, Pinnacle Port, Florida – right on the beach!  During the cold winter months, they entertained lots of visitors. And by the way, it tickled her every day that she was still alive and able to meet and spend time with her 15 great-grandchildren, Tristin, Landon, Joseph, Blake, Wakely, Sage, Anthony, Cole, Brielle, Luca, Gwen, Poppy, Lena, Lincoln, and Leo.

Clare continued to be the Jam Lady and making friends in Pinnacle Port.  Her southern friends, Darlene, Francine, Paulette, Susie, and Dan and Up North friends Rob and Cindy loved her dearly!

She did her canning at ungodly early hours in the morning, selling her wares in front of her house, at local craft shows and fairs, collecting devoted jam and pickled preserves fans and groupies along her way.

I’ll bet that Clare’s probably already found her Jackpot, just inside the Pearly Gates at the Big Slot Machine in Heaven, where every day she’s content and every day she’s a Winner!

Should you wish to honor Clare, please send your donations to The Toni and Trish House in Auburn, Michigan, where she spent her last days in peace and comfort. Arrangements are in the care of Hall-Kokotovich Funeral Home. www.hallkokotovichfuneralhome.com