Glenn Goode - Oak Wood Cemetery - Whitesboro, TX - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

While he has a page at Findagrave, it really does not do him justice. It indicates that he was born in Gunter, a county away, and worked in the fiberglass and sandblasting business for forty-four years, making reference to his having been devoutly religious, and even having served as a minister at one time. Known as "The Fiberglass Man", he was married to Mary Jean Henderson for fifty-five years, and she predeceased him in 2012. They are survived by multiple children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Mr. Goode is world famous on Roadside America -- see Web Site, below, and check out the photo of Mrs. Goode with one of her family -- for having collected and restored several "highway giants" that include two Big Johns, a Uniroyal Gal (with a pet cow), and two Cowboys. When viewing the Big People from FM 371, a Big John anchors the south end of the group, and then, to his left, are the Uniroyal Gal and cow, a Cowboy, another Big John and another Cowboy. The Cowboy in the middle arrived first, in 1971, and he needed a new head, hat, and hands. The Uniroyal Gal joined him in 1984. Initially clad in a red bikini -- you can still see the bottoms if you look under her skirt -- she now wears a modest blouse and a skirt that was lengthened from the original accessory that accompanied her. Mr. Goode's standards were in play here, and wanted her clothing to look more "holy." Her original bracelet is missing, though.

The two Big Johns followed at some point after they'd been homeless and outdoors, and the Goodes did have their old grocery bags in storage somewhere. This group was a quartet for some years until the second Cowboy joined them in 2014. Mr. Goode didn't have the opportunity to finish the second Cowboy, as he's missing his hat and needs the paint job completed on his shoes, and he'd also hoped to fix the short right arm that the Uniroyal Gal has.

The first Cowboy got Mr. Goode into trouble at one point, as the public dubbed him "Big Tex," and apparently, Mr. Goode ran with that name. That didn't go over well with the State Fair of Texas, who are fiercely protective of their own giant, Big Tex, and the giants survived being taken down. It's notable that that particular Cowboy has "Glenn Goode The Fiberglas Man" across his chest, and Mr. Goode refers to him as such in videos. Oddly, after Big Tex burned in 2012, Mr. Goode offered his services as work began on a replacement, but unfortunately, he was not included.

Mr. Goode died in 2015, leaving the future of the Big People up in the air, although his will stated that they'll remain here for at least five years (until at least March 2020) before they can find new homes. As of this posting, there are no indications of any changes.

Besides the related YouTube videos embedded in the narrative, there is also one where he talks a little bit about mould creation, and this is probably what he used for that first Cowboy and later, the second. Another video references the second Cowboy, and has a great story about the cow.

Description: Even though we lost him in 2015, Glenn Goode's legacy survives, and there are still a few signs along US 82 in Gainesville, pointing the way to his old shop on FM 371, where his family of "Big People" are still on display. He is buried with his wife in Oak Wood Cemetery in Whitesboro, TX, sharing a black marble headstone with the family name, "Goode", in large white letters across the top. A photo medallion of the couple is above their wedding date, July 5, 1957, and their personal information reads: Glenn Edward The Fiberglass Man Nov. 23, 1938 Mar. 14, 2015 Mary Jean Henderson Feb. 18, 1941 June 29, 2012 On the back of the headstone is another photo medallion of the couple, back in 1971, with accompanying text: Our Children Lisa Darin Jay Glenda Duane We Obeyed Acts 2:38 on Dec. 24, 1956 Date of birth: 11/23/1938 Date of death: 03/14/2015 Area of notoriety: Entertainment Marker Type: Headstone Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daylight Hours Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log   03/16/2023 The Snowdog visited it