Howard Glenn Rankin

Glenn Rankin Obituary

Rev. H. Glenn Rankin died on January 08, 2020 at home, surrounded by loved ones. For months he had been praying, “Lord, let me wake up in your presence.” His family rejoices that he has received his eternal reward.

Glenn began life in Cynthiana, Kentucky on September 30, 1924. He was the sixth of ten children born to Rev. E.E. Lang Rankin and Ellen Lemons Rankin. At age 18, he was drafted and inducted into the U.S. Army’s 8th Armored Infantry. He survived the end of the Battle of the Bulge, twenty-one days without removing his boots, and the liberation of a section of the Buchenwald Concentration Camp. The twenty year old was stopped by six bullets in April 1945.

After recovering from war wounds (and the Chicago Cubs’ loss in the 1945 World Series) Glenn worked odd jobs until he enrolled in Anderson College (now University) to prepare for pastoral ministry. During a youth ministry internship in Barryton, Michigan he met Eva Cummings, whom he married on April 16, 1949. After graduation, he began his ministry in York Springs, PA. He also served congregations in Athens, PA, Gambrills, MD and Gary, IN, as well as several interim pastorates in Michigan and Pennsylvania during his retirement years. He also worked for the Lake County Indiana Department of Public Welfare for sixteen years.

Glenn always rooted for the “underdog,” whether that was a losing Little League team, his “Loveable Loser Cubs,” or the disadvantaged and oppressed. He actively worked for racial reconciliation, leading reluctant Caucasian congregations to regularly worship and interact with African American congregations. His participation in the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington resulted in a storm of protest from congregants. The leading critic, however, years later related that Glenn’s efforts helped her move far away from her racist past. He was also designated the “Number One Fan” of the Gary Westside High School Girls’ Basketball Team.

Glenn loved his Creator, the Church of God and his family. He and Eva had three daughters, Linda (Rodney) Fisher, Kathy (David) Simpson and Cynthia Rankin; four grandchildren, Jennifer (Michael) Picini, Sandra (Bill) Closson, Ryan (Becki) Simpson and Nathan Simpson. Perhaps nothing brought him greater joy in his later years than his precious great-grandchildren: Isabelle and Avery Beedles; Charlie, Maxwell and Louis Closson; and Anna Simpson. He was preceded in death by his parents, eight siblings, stillborn daughter (1953), stillborn son (1956), daughter Cynthia (1994) and wife Eva (2003).

A memorial service will be held in the Newberry Room at Park Place Church of God, Anderson, IN at 2:00 PM, January 11, 2020 with family visitation following the service.