CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS — “He put public service first — whether it was on council or in the community,” Mayor Randy Gorske said of Howard Glenn.

Glenn, 78, a Cambridge Springs Borough Council member who served in three different decades, died Monday afternoon at Meadville Medical Center.

He sustained a shoulder fracture, cracked pelvis, and head and facial injuries when he fell last Thursday afternoon while walking toward his home, according to his family.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be under the direction of Hatheway-Tedesco Funeral Home of Meadville.

“At a time in his life when most people are not willing to step out and be part of the public process — he was,” said Gorske.

Glenn had been active in the Cambridge Springs community since moving back to the area in the early 1980s following his retirement as an investigator for the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Glenn first was on borough council in the 1980s and later in the early 1990s. In his 70s, he successfully ran again for council in 1999 and was just re-elected to a third consecutive term in November.

However, politics were just one part of his life.

“He was always there,” Mary Glenn said of her husband’s willingness to help others.

Glenn was a member of Cambridge Area Volunteer Ambulance Service, serving stints as vice president and secretary of the organization, said Mary, who had been married to Howard since 1989. “He and I always would work on the (fundraising) dinners, too,” she said.

Glenn was one of the originators of Helping Hands of Cambridge Springs in the 1980s. The organization helps distribute food to needy families and provide utility bill assistance.

Glenn also served as a correspondent for The Meadville Tribune, writing a folksy column about Cambridge Springs and its happenings. He previously had written for the former Independent-Enterprise, a weekly newspaper that had served the Edinboro and Cambridge Springs areas.

Mary Glenn met her husband at Lost Lanes, Cambridge Springs’ bowling center, in 1987, during a moonlight bowling session for couples.

Both Mary and Howard returned to Cambridge Springs about the same time but didn’t know each other.

“I didn’t have a partner,” Mary said. “The (bowling alley) owner talked to Howard and Howard said, ‘I don’t know any ladies.’ The owner said, ‘Don’t worry. I have a lady (without a partner). I need you.’ ”