July 15, 1959 - October 10, 2020
No Really Great Man Ever Thought Himself So ~ (William Hazlitt).
Glen - a husband, father, son, brother, friend, and colleague. He was truly loved by so many and will never be forgotten.
He died suddenly and leaves behind his loving wife Lisa, devoted sons Kyle and Jason, mother Echo-Marie, father Donald, and sisters Heather and Melanie, as well as many in-laws, nieces and nephews.
Glen was born July 15, 1959 in Halifax, Nova Scotia and grew up in North Vancouver. Glen knew from a very early age that he wanted to become a helicopter pilot.
When barely able to ride a bike, he would race through the house yelling what type of helicopter he had just heard flying overhead. This was of course before he could see the machine or any of the family could even hear it.
As he got older, his enthusiasm for helicopters blossomed: he joined air cadets, got his fixed wing license and became an aircraft maintenance engineer for Okanagan Helicopters.
Before heading to university, Glen reached a monumental professional goal - obtaining his commercial helicopter pilot's license. His career took him all across Western Canada, including stints in Edmonton, Inuvik and Campbell River.
While at Simon Fraser University pursuing his business degree, Glen met the love of his life Lisa. He and Lisa married on July 14, 1990, and their beloved boys Kyle and Jason made their family complete.
After settling in Campbell River with his family, Glen began working overseas in Equatorial Guinea, Ecuador, Malaysia, and Azerbaijan as a captain, trainer, manager and check pilot.
Glen was a family man through and through. His laugh and enthusiasm at family dinners was a constant highlight and highly contagious. He also loved spending time outdoors and adventuring with Lisa and the boys.
Common excursions included outings on Pop Gary's boat, trips to Savary Island, and family hikes with the grandparents in Whistler. Some of the more intrepid vacations featured surf sessions on the hidden shores of Kona, caving in the jungles of Malaysia, and romantic getaways with Lisa to the Edinburgh Christmas market and the coast of Italy.
Glen was an extremely humble, kind and caring soul. He forged strong relationships with those around him and loved everyone unconditionally. He always strove to better himself and his community — spiritually, emotionally and physically.
The way that Glen passed was no reflection of the way that he had lived his life — exuberantly, passionately, wholeheartedly, and loyally. Although Glen fought valiantly for seven months against acute mental health challenges, he slipped through the cracks of the system and from the embrace of his family.
Glen, we miss you terribly and there is a huge hole in our hearts that we know will never be filled.
In lieu of flowers, if you would like to support Glen and his family, you can kindly make a donation to a local mens' mental health organization in your town.
"One can know a man from his laugh, and if you like a man's laugh before you know anything of him, you may confidently say that he is a good man." - Fyodor Dostoevsky
That was our Glen.
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