Lois (Costello) Glasser

Lois (Costello) Glasser, 97, of Birmingham, AL, formerly of Joliet, passed away March 10, 2025 at Brookdale University Park of Birmingham, AL.

Funeral services will be 11:00 AM Saturday, April 12, at Hurst Funeral Homes in Ladd with Rev. Karen Karczewski officiating. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery in Arlington.

Lois was born in Joliet on March 6, 1928, the daughter of James and Muriel (Bick) Costello. She married Donald Glasser on March 23, 1964. Lois was a professional vocalist, winning her first musical contest at the age of 5 and at the age of 8 was singing with a five-piece band, The Merry Makers. she attended Providence High School and St. Mary-of-the-Wood College in Indiana before making a career as a singer in several bands. In her early career, she sang with such well-known bands as Will Back, Victor Lombardo, and Ray Pearl. She met her husband Don, while they were both with the Ray Pearl Orchestra, Lois as a singer and Don as a saxophone player. They formed their own organization, Don Glasser Orchestra in 1953, known for “Music Smooth as Glass.” For the next 46 years, they were on the road playing steady engagements at the Melody Mill Ballroom in Chicago, the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, and the Roseland Ballroom in New York City with numerous other engagements throughout the United States, including four at the Peru Mall in Peru. After settling in Birmingham, the Don Glasser Orchestra performed at the renowned, The Club, in Birmingham.

Lois is preceded in death by her parents, her beloved husband Don Glasser on April 26, 2004, and one brother James Castello.

She is survived by nieces and nephews, numerous cousins, and many musical friends and fans.

Pallbearers will be Bob, Steve, Tim, Rick, and Tazio Fonderoli; Brad Bonnell; and Brian Koch.

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