Marsha Glassband, whose life revolved around family, Jewish observance and community, died on May 28 at age 88. A longtime member of Ner Tamid Congregation in Pikesville, she filled her home with Shabbat dinners, holiday celebrations and family gatherings that kept generations of relatives closely connected.

For much of her adult life, Glassband worked to bring people together. Summer weekends often centered on her home, where family members knew they would find food, conversation and a warm welcome. A regular presence at Ner Tamid, she built much of her social and religious life around the Orthodox synagogue community while maintaining traditions passed down from her parents.

“She always wanted everyone together,” her daughter, Vicki Luckman, said. “That was her life.”

Born Marsha Reznick, she grew up in Sykesville in an Orthodox Jewish family. The traditions taught by her parents, Herman and Elsie Reznick, remained central throughout her life. As an adult, Glassband attended services regularly at Ner Tamid, lit Shabbat candles each week and maintained a strictly kosher household.

Judaism was woven into daily life in the Glassband household. Friday nights were reserved for Shabbat dinners, and holidays brought extended family together year after year. Her children grew up attending services with her at Ner Tamid, where she participated in Sisterhood activities and appeared in synagogue theater productions.

The traditions she learned as a child remained important throughout her life, shaping both her religious observance and the way she raised her own family.

She met her future husband, Herman Glassband, at a high school fraternity party when she was 15 and he was 17. They married shortly after she graduated from high school and built a marriage that lasted nearly 70 years.

“Everything you would want,” Herman Glassband said. “Her beauty, her sense of humor, her goodness.”

Together they raised five children, David, Vicki, Ben, Steven and Rick. Their firstborn son, David, died as a young child, a loss that remained painful throughout her life. Family members described her as remarkably resilient, drawing strength from her faith, husband and children during difficult times.

Years later, she successfully battled breast cancer. Her daughter said Glassband endured treatment without complaint, continuing with daily life as though nothing had changed.

Although she worked at various times alongside her husband’s pharmacy business, as a preschool assistant at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore and briefly for an eye doctor, family members said her primary focus was always her family.

When grandchildren began arriving, she found new ways to stay involved in their lives. According to family members, she took a position at the JCC preschool in part because her grandchildren attended there. If they became sick, she often stepped in to care for them.

“The children have very fond memories of when they were sick and had to go to Grandma’s,” her daughter-in-law, Dede Glassband, said. “It was always a fun day.”

She baked with her grandchildren, took them shopping and attended their activities. Granddaughter Carly Glassband recalled colorful holiday headbands and family baking projects, while grandson Spencer Glassband remembered her humor and ability to make people smile.

She also delighted in holiday traditions. Family members remembered homemade hamantaschen, patriotic cakes decorated with strawberries and blueberries, and festive celebrations that gave children and grandchildren memories they would carry for years.

One decision came to symbolize Glassband’s approach to family life. Before building a swimming pool behind the family home, she clipped a photograph of one from a magazine and displayed it as a reminder of her goal. Once completed, the pool became the setting for decades of summer weekends, birthday parties, holiday celebrations and impromptu gatherings.

“She put a pool in our backyard when we were in college to keep the family together,” Ben Glassband said. “It was my mom’s plan.”

Friends and relatives also remembered her playful side. She loved holiday-themed clothing and accessories, often appearing in festive earrings, novelty hats or colorful headbands. She enjoyed mahjong, shopping, dinner outings and spending time with friends, many of whom remained close for decades.

Glassband also served as president of the Mildred Mindell Cancer Foundation and remained active with the organization for many years.

Family members said she was equally devoted to her older brother, Harold Reznick, with whom she remained close throughout their lives. Even in her later years, one of her favorite requests was to visit or speak with him.

In recent years, Glassband lived with dementia, a development that was difficult for those who loved her.

Dede Glassband believes the closeness that still exists among the family’s children, grandchildren and cousins reflects Marsha’s influence.

“We’re all very, very close,” she said. “I think it has a lot to do with my mother-in-law. She made that happen by bringing everyone together.”

Ellen Braunstein is a freelance obituary writer. She welcomes suggestions for individuals who had meaningful ties to the Baltimore Jewish community. Email csix@midatlanticmedia.com.