Agnes Catherine Lange Mcglone

Agnes Catherine Lange McGlone was born on September 8, 1932, in Brooklyn, New York. She was the youngest of four daughters and big sister to her brother Richard. She adored her siblings and felt tremendous love from them and both of her parents. Her father, Richard Lange was a house painter and artist, and Agnes picked up her love of art and gardening from him. Although the family was faced with many financial challenges due to the Great Depression, including holes in her shoes and very few luxuries, Agnes never felt poor due to the love, joy, and faith she felt in her home. She often shared how her dad would go all out for Christmas filling their house with special homemade decorations.

Agnes enjoyed her friends and fun with her sisters and at 15 years-old fudged her age to get a job as a waitress at Schrafft’s Restaurant in New York City with some help from her friend Mary McGlone. In 1949, that same friend Mary, introduced Agnes to her brother Tom McGlone who had moved to the United States from Derry, Ireland. Agnes then graduated from Dominican Commercial Catholic High School in 1950. Agnes was smitten with Tom’s Irish charm; strong work ethic and good looks and they married in 1951. Tom and Agnes bought their first home in Huntington, NY and immediately set out to grow their family. Agnes wanted to be a mom first and foremost. As a couple they struggled significantly with challenges around childbirth and ultimately Agnes had a total of 9 pregnancies and 3 children. Their babies were born prematurely including their son Thomas John who was also born with Cerebral Palsy. She went on to have two daughters, Margaret Edith, and Agnes Frances. Her children were her world, and she poured all she could into them. Tom and Agnes worked together to create their own company, Bay View Topsoil and Agnes helped with the phones and the books while raising her children. In 1964 the couple settled in Dix Hills, NY into a brand-new home with a big back yard and loving neighbors. After divorcing in 1970, Agnes went back to school for secretarial training, rented out the basement apartment to make ends meet and thrived as a single mom. She got a good job in the Personnel Department at Central General Hospital in Plainview, NY and made sure her children had everything they needed including a strong connection to St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church. She got involved with the Parents Without Partners club, played mah-jongg with her neighbors, made new friends, enjoyed her children, skiing trips, the beaches of Long Island, trips to see her siblings in California and Florida, and growing her roses and tomatoes. In 1980 she made a difficult decision with encouragement from her sister Marian Fitzgerald to move to sunny Southern California to be closer to not only Marian but to her sister Patsy Sullivan, along with her youngest child, Agnes. Thanks to Patsy, Agnes and Agnes had a place to stay until a good job was secured and a home was found.

Agnes worked in secretarial positions in California, joined Holy Name of Mary Parish and met new friends while settling in San Dimas, CA. She also worked as the Activities Coordinator for The Language Center of the Pacific and this was her favorite job. She enjoyed meeting students from all over the world, taking them to popular Southern California spots, and even had several students live with her. She kept in

touch with one special student Chieko Ono, who recently traveled back to the US from Japan to thank Agnes for the positive impact she made on her life. Patsy and Agnes enjoyed traveling together around the west and Agnes spent many family celebrations, holidays and birthdays with her sisters and their families. She traveled back to NY often to visit Margaret and Tommy. In 1996, Agnes moved to Laguna Woods to once again be closer to Marian and shortly after that, she retired. She immediately joined the Garden Club, the Biking Club, and the Hiking Club in Laguna Woods and eventually she would become the President of the Garden Club. She thoroughly enjoyed being part of two parishes in South Orange County including Corpus Christi Catholic Church and St. Nicholas Catholic Church. Agnes also enjoyed working part-time at Corpus Christi Catholic Church doing childcare. She truly loved the beaches in the area, especially Laguna, Dana Point and Newport as well as taking trips to Florida to visit her beloved sister, Edy and taking cruises. Her favorite trip was her Alaskan Cruise with her best friend Gladys.

One of the things about her life that she was most happy about was seeing her children healthy and having long happy marriages and she loved her two son-in-laws and daughter in-law very much. Living in Orange County, Agnes became a significant part of raising her two California grandchildren, Shannon, and Catherine, taking care of them once a week and picking them up from school. She enjoyed getting back to NY to visit her family, especially spending time with her grandchildren there. She helped out in their pre-school, had lots of fun singing songs in the car and making her famous Mickey Mouse pancakes whenever she could.

In 2000 with guidance and love from her sister Marian, Agnes bravely accepted some mental health support she had likely needed for years. Agnes immediately became devoted to talk therapy, proper medicine, diet, and exercise in order to stay strong emotionally, spiritually and mentally. In 2013 Agnes was thrilled to welcome her brother to live in California. They spent every Tuesday enjoying lunches at the beach and celebrating all major holidays together for over a decade. Agnes was friendly and quick with a smile and liked to crack jokes and kid around. When asked if she needed anything, she would always say, “A million dollars!” Her pride and joy was her family especially her children and grandchildren, and she was so proud to become a great grandmother. She was extremely grateful for the care and love from her caregiver Netty, friend and caregiver Courtney Fielder, help from her granddaughters, visits from her nieces, the daily texts from her grandson Kevin, and consistent care and support from her daughters, her son-in-law Richard, her brother Richard, daily calls from her daughter Margaret and long visits from her son as she aged and needed more help. Agnes was fortunate to enjoy her 90th birthday celebration with 100 friends and family in attendance only four months before her passing in her home on January 2nd 2023 surrounded by her children. She considered herself a blessed woman of God and she will be missed forever.

In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to the Shea Center. To learn more about making a donation in her memory visit: https://sheacenterdrivetoride.funraise.org/fundraiser/agnes-swanson

You are invited to a Funeral Zoom event for Agnes Lange McGlone's Funeral and Luncheon Livestream.

When: Feb 25, 2023 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Topic: Agnes Lange McGlone Funeral and Luncheon livestream

Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82718856681