Richard A. Glenn

Richard A. Glenn, 60, of Owensboro, passed away on August 18, 2026, at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital following a cardiac event. Richard was born in Owensboro on February 6, 1966, to the late Joseph and Carolyn Howard Glenn.

Richard grew up in Owensboro and loved playing youth sports, including baseball and football. He continued playing baseball at Daviess County High School. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Kentucky, earning a degree in restaurant management. While at UK, Richard joined the Army Reserve, and following graduation, he entered active duty with the United States Army.

When Richard returned home, he initially put his degree to work in restaurant management. It did not take long for him to realize it was not where he belonged. His heart had always been in law enforcement.

There was a history to that calling. His great-grandfather, Vernie Bidwell, served the Owensboro Police Department for 40 years and was chief of police from 1940 until his death in 1974. Richard was only eight years old when Vernie died, but his funeral left an impression that stayed with him for the rest of his life. He remembered seeing officers from numerous agencies gathered in uniform to honor his great-grandfather, and it stuck with him.

Richard's father, Joe, continued that tradition, first working in state vehicle enforcement and later with the Daviess County Sheriff's Department. Although his parents initially hoped Richard would choose a different career, his mind was made up. He felt a responsibility to serve his community and wanted to continue a family legacy that had already shaped much of who he was.

Richard joined the Owensboro Police Department and was proud of the career he built. His work included time as a patrol officer, five years as a detective in the juvenile division, and four years as a polygraph examiner. He was also a member of the American Polygraph Association. In 2007, after 11 years with the department, he was promoted to sergeant.

For Richard, law enforcement was never just a job. He kept a display of family badges and patches in his home, a reminder of the generations of his family who had worn a badge before and alongside him.

Following his retirement from the Owensboro Police Department, Richard began working at Owensboro Memorial Gardens and later at Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory. Both allowed him to continue helping people in his hometown, just in a different way.

Richard met the love of his life, Rebecca "Beck" Schofield, through their friends Sean and Kelly Schlachter. Richard and Beck married in 1998 and spent almost 28 years building a life and raising a family together. Their children, Rachel and Jordan, were at the center of that life. Richard and Beck supported their interests, showed up for what mattered to them, and enjoyed many family trips and memories together over the years.

When his granddaughter, Riley, was born, he took on a new role he loved. He wanted Riley to call him "Poppie," the same name he had lovingly called his own grandfather, a man who had meant the world to him.

Long before Richard wore a police uniform, he loved being outdoors. Much of that came from the time he spent on the farm with his grandfather, Poppie. That love of farm life stayed with Richard as he grew older. As it turned out, falling in love with Beck also meant becoming part of a family with a farm of its own, and Richard took to it naturally.

The farm became one of the places where Richard was most at home. He loved to garden and canned what he grew. He cared for cows and donkeys and raised chickens, rabbits, and seemingly every variety of bird he could find a reason to bring home. And then there was hunting. If something was in season, chances were Richard wanted to hunt it. He loved the outdoors and the work that came with maintaining a farm.

Richard was a third-generation member of Settle Memorial United Methodist Church in Owensboro.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife of almost 28 years, Rebecca "Beck" Schofield Glenn, who passed away a little more than five weeks before him; and his longtime friend, Sean Schlachter.

Those left to cherish his memory include his children, Rachel Glenn Blythe (Brady) and Jordan Schofield Knott (Jarah); granddaughter, Riley Blythe; sister, Sarah Combs (Fred); aunts, Brenda Walker, who was like a sister to him, and Marilyn Lowe (Bobby); uncle, Gerald Howard (Karen); and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

The funeral service for Richard will be at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, August 23, 2026, at Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory. Visitation will be from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home, with a final salute from American Legion Post 9 at 4:45 p.m. Visitation on Sunday will be from 1:00 pm until the time of service. Private burial with military honors will take place in the Schofield Family Cemetery.

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 16, P.O. Box 401, Owensboro, KY 42302, or Settle Memorial United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 1756, Owensboro, KY 42302.

Memories and condolences may be left for the family of Richard A. Glenn at www.glennfuneralhome.com.