Obituary published on Legacy.com by Strunk Funeral Homes and Crematory - Vero Beach on Oct. 22, 2025.
William Darby Glenn III M.D, Captain USAF, passed away at home in Vero Beach, FL on October 15, 2025.
Born April 26, 1931 New York City to Cora Pauline (Oates) Glenn and William Darby Glenn Jr. Predeceased by his wife of 58 years Frances Marian (Bondi) Glenn DDS, he is survived by his son William D. Glenn IV MD (Lynn Engelberg Glenn PhD) of Aiken, SC., grandchildren Elizabeth Pauline Glenn PhD of Denver, CO., Paul Darby Glenn (GraceAnne Dukes Glenn) of Atlanta, GA., Sarah Margaret Glenn of Columbia, SC. He is also survived by Patsy Malone, Melanie Love, and Hunter Love of Aspen, CO.
Darby's early life was spent in Manhattan where his father was a Professor of Psychology at NYU, with summers spent with the Oates family in Bartow, FL. Moving from NYC to Bergen County, NJ he was prepared at Tennafly High School, graduating Valedictorian of the class of 1949. He went on to earn an AB from Harvard in 1952 and received his MD from The University of Pennsylvania in 1956 where he met Frances Bondi of Tampa, FL. After graduation and marriage, he completed his intern year at Walter Reed Medical Center and served as a medical officer in the rank of Captain at Eglin Air Force Base from 1957-1959. He completed his residency in Otorhinolaryngology at the University of Miami in 1962, settling in Coral Gables, and practiced for 40 years in South Miami alongside Frances' pedodontic/orthodontic practice, attending to patients and performing surgery at Baptist, South Miami, and Doctor's Hospitals. He was an instrument rated private pilot logging 1200+ hours exploring the Bahamas, Mexico, and the US.
A love of skiing and the mountains led them to establish and run the Bicentennial Medical Dental Seminar in Vail creating many Christmas memories and lifelong friends.
They retired to Vero Beach in 2002 where they continued operating the Children's Dental Research Society to expand on Frances' research on the use of prenatal fluoride supplementation in the prevention of dental caries, funding research at Johns Hopkins and institutions around the world. After Frances' death in 2014, he began spending summers in Snowmass, CO where he met and fell in love with his forever fiancée, Patsy Malone of Aspen. Both being avid outdoor sports and tennis enthusiasts, they traveled the world making many friends and fond memories together here and abroad. In Vero, Darby was a supporter of the Vero Beach Museum of Art, Riverside Theatre, McKee Gardens, the
ASPCA, and Save the Chimps Sanctuary. He was a member of The Quail Valley River Club, Moorings Yacht and Country Club, and attended Trinity Episcopal Church. He was a regular at The Tides and The Ocean Grill in Vero Beach. In Snowmass, he was a patron of the Aspen Music Festival and School, Jazz Aspen Snowmass, Theatre Aspen, and the Aspen Art Museum. He was a member of the Smuggler Racquet Club, Snowmass Club, Maroon Creek Club, and attended Christ Episcopal Church.
He was a loving, faithful, generous, gracious, and kind husband, father, grandfather, friend, and companion and is dearly missed. The family expresses our gratitude to caregivers Cindy Stillwaggon and Gianni Boccia, his physicians especially Dr. Thomas Lewis and Dr. Charles Celano, and the nurses and ancillary staff of VNA Hospice.
A service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church in Vero Beach on Friday, November 21 at 3pm. A reception/celebration of life will be held afterwards at Quail Valley at The Pointe. A celebration of life will be held in Aspen/Snowmass in late spring/early summer 2026. All who knew and loved Darby are invited. His remains will be laid to rest in York, SC at a future time.
Memorials in his honor may be made to a charitable foundation, institution of education, or faith-based organization of one's own choosing.