COVID-19

She lived her entire life with a man who became universally revered, but to millions across the globe, Annie Glenn was her own kind of hero. The widow of John Glenn, the former astronaut and U.S. senator from Ohio, died early Tuesday morning at a nursing home near family members in St. Paul, Minnesota, of complications from COVID-19. She was 100. “This is a very sad day for all Ohioans,” Gov. Mike DeWine told The Dispatch on Tuesday morning as he prepared to sign an order to fly flags at half-staff until Mrs. Glenn’s service. “Annie Glenn was certainly our most beloved Ohioan,” said DeWine, who once served with her husband in the U.S. Senate. “There wouldn’t have been a John Glenn without Annie Glenn. Theirs is an inspiring love story. She represented all that is good about our country.” Sen. Glenn died in 2016 at age 95 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Annie will be buried alongside him. Annie Glenn has made Ohio proud all her life — as an advocate, a philanthropist, a mother, and partner and as a friend,” Brown said. “Annie will be remembered for her work to lift others up, including those who shared her struggles with communicative disorders. Her passion for helping others, along with a kind spirit and sharp wit, endeared Annie to anyone who met her. “We are comforted that John and Annie, childhood sweethearts, are reunited once again.”