January 06, 1924 - February 19, 2021
Glen Howard Mortensen died of natural causes on February 19, 2021, at the age of 97. Glen was born on January 6, 1924, in Benson Ward, Utah, and grew up in the farming communities of Logan and Richmond, Utah. After high school, he studied airplane mechanics at Utah State College. During World War II, he served as a corporal in the Eighth Air Force at Royal Air Force Station Watton Air Depot in County Norfolk, England, where he inspected and directed repairs for B-17 bombers returning from missions over Europe. He was discharged at McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento.
With help from the G.I. bill, he worked to put himself through college, beginning at Sacramento City College. He studied architecture at the University of California at Berkeley, where he met Stockton native Carolyn Eproson. They married in 1949. After graduating in 1950, Glen worked in the Bay Area as a draftsman. He received his state architect license in a few years, and in 1956, he joined the architectural firm of Mayo, Johnson, and DeWolf in Stockton. In 1962, he and Jack Holstein formed Mortensen and Holstein, Architects. Some years later, he created a firm in his name, Glen H. Mortensen, Architect, A.I.A., and he later partnered with Gary Gideon to form Mortensen and Gideon, Architects.
Glen's designs of local homes, churches, banks, schools, and office buildings helped shape the image of Stockton and communities in the Central Valley and Sierra Foothills. He was the primary architect for the Woodruff Regional Occupational Center, the Hunter's Square Fountain (since replaced by construction of the most recent county courthouse), the School of Pharmacy at the University of the Pacific, and most notably, Burn's Tower, also at U.O.P.
An early proponent of alternative energy, Glen designed the first solar home in Stockton in the 1970s. He presented City Hall with ideas for improving aesthetics and water quality at the head of the Stockton Channel and the Mormon Slough.
Glen belonged to the Sierra Valley Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (A.I.A.) and was a commissioner for the Board of Architectural Examiners. He was active in North Stockton Kiwanis, the Engineer's Club, the Astronomical Society, the Stockton Executive Club, the Solar Energy Society, and the American Legion. He also was affiliated with the Stockton Fine Arts Gallery, the Cultural Heritage Board, and the Save Downtown Stockton Foundation Board.
With a shared love of music, Glen and Carolyn were season ticket holders to the Stockton Symphony as well as to the Stockton Civic Theater. Glen sang for years in the Stockton Chorale and in the Barbershop Harmony (SPEBSQSA) chorus. In addition to singing, he was an avid golfer well into his 80's. A highlight of his golfing days was hitting a hole-in-one at Swenson Golf Course. The family traveled by car throughout California and to National Parks outside the state. After the children were grown, Glen and Carolyn continued to travel to locations such as Alaska, Hawaii, New York, Europe, and Mexico. Glen's hobbies also included woodworking, painting, and baking bread. In his 90s, he took ukulele lessons.
Of great pride was the home he designed in north Stockton and moved his family into in 1962. There he could return to his origins by growing a large garden each year, planting fruit and nut trees, and harvesting the yield. "Farmer Glen" had a strong work and self-sufficiency ethic. He could fix almost anything, it seemed, and he was keenly interested in technology and innovation.
Glen was a high priest in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where he had many responsibilities. He also sang in his ward's choir.
In recent years, Glen resided at O'Connor Woods and Oakmont at Brookside.
Glen was a man of the Greatest Generation. He grew up poor during the Depression, served his country in WWII, and worked hard toward his goals. He had a limitless interest in the wonders of the world and curiosity about how things worked. A dear friend described him this way: "He was a visionary who could see far beyond what is, and made plans for what could be." He was honest and kind and lived by a moral code that never wavered. He was all about the positive and well-being. A gentle, kind soul walked among us for 97 years.
Glen was preceded in death in 2009 by Carolyn, his wife of 60 years. He is survived by children, Dean Mortensen (Diana), Marit Mortensen-Bird (Bart), and Farel Brosio (Paul); grandchildren, Lisa, Eric, Kevin, Mark, and Anya; and three great-grandchildren, Elisabeth, Johnathan, and Melanie.
His family will hold a private burial, with United States Air Force honor guard, at Cherokee Memorial Park, Lodi. A celebration of Glen's life will be announced at a later date.
