Thomas Dennis Glazener

Thomas Dennis Glazener, 82, of Midlothian, VA, went to be with the Lord on January 25, 2026. He was preceded in death by his parents, Newton and Agnes Glazener, and by his wife, Nancy Parks Glazener. Dennis is survived by his daughter Sharon Butler (Eric) and granddaughter Lena of Raleigh, NC; sister Marilena Combs (Dennis) of Clayton, NC; and many nieces and nephews, together with grandnieces and grandnephews.
Dennis was born in Farmville, VA and grew up in Chase City, VA. After graduating high school, he moved to Richmond, VA and married Nancy in 1966. He worked for many of the Bell Companies, including C&P Telephone, AT&T, and Lucent Techologies over the years of 1965 until his early retirement in his 50s, working his way up from lineman to Project Manager over the installation of corporate communication systems. Dennis was a faithful member of Bethel Baptist Church for about 45 years, where he served as a deacon and taught Sunday School classes.
Dennis and Nancy grew up in the same town and knew each other from childhood and were happily married from 1966 until Nancy's death in 2021. They enjoyed traveling together all over the world. Dennis was known as a scholar and a gentleman, always seeking to learn more about many things like history, genealogy, and woodworking. He researched, wrote, and published a book titled Gillespie Gunmakers of East Fork NC in 2004. As a descendant of the Gillespie riflemakers, Dennis collected antique firearms and also made reproduction rifles. He had a large community of friends around the world which shared knowledge and history on antique firearms. Dennis also restored antique vehicles and loved cars from the time that he learned mechanical repair by his father's side to taking them out on the dragstrip as a teenager. Dennis loved his family well and was delighted when his granddaughter Lena joined the family in 2024. He was kind, generous, knowledgeable, and faithful to his word. He will be remembered by his family as a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and brother.
The family will receive friends Thursday, February 5, 2026 at Bennett & Barden Funeral Home located at 3215 Anderson Highway., Powhatan, VA 23139 from 6:00 to 8:00PM. A funeral ceremony will be held at 10:30 AM on Friday, February 6, 2026 at Bethel Baptist Church, 1100 Huguenot Springs road, Midlothian, Virginia. Livestream of the service can be found here: https://www.bethelchurchmidlothianva.org/sermons. Internment will follow in the church cemetery.