Passed away peacefully on Monday, April 26, 2021 in his 75th year. Glenn is survived by his loving wife, Linda, of 54 years. Cherished father of Val Stewart, and Karen (Mike) Stevenson. He will be missed by his grandchildren Cassie, Megan, Sammie and Jake as well as his sister, Ruth (Ernie) Johnston.
Papa was a superhero.
He lived his whole life giving, so much and so constantly you would worry he was going to run out of things to give one day - but he never did. Never hesitated or flinched, never backed away or let a problem go un-fixed, never let a stranger go un-helped or a bad day pass without trying to make it a little bit better.
He was a protector and a father to so many - the man that made every friend feel like family, and every house feel like home. He was a safe place to crash-land and a warm pair of open arms to run to, no matter what.
Papa could make anybody smile. Grumpy teenagers on bad days, servers in roadside Florida diners, doctors, neighbours, complete strangers. He always knew exactly how to do it - took a guess at what the moment was calling for, and always got it right. The “pink fluff” joke. A bright green balloon hat on his head for the entirety of his very last Christmas dinner. He brought enough joy with him to share everywhere he went.
He is the reason I know that unconditional love exists. Love that never changes or asks questions; the same love through every bad decision, every hair colour, every emotional outburst and end-of-the-world crisis, every request, every frustration, every challenge, every rough day, every victory, and every new direction that it’s dragged in - unconditional. He showed me that. He showed everyone that.
I wish that everyone on the planet had gotten the chance to know and love him while he was here. The world feels like a weird place without him - so whether it’s Glenn, Dad, or Papa that you’re missing, here are some places you can still find him: in the blue eyes of his daughters, who carry & share all of the love that he gave, in the “p-choo, p-choo, p-choo” of the ‘Daily Double’, in the hearts of strangers across the continent, who once cracked a smile over a dry joke he made or a compliment he shared, in green jelly beans & value-packs of jujubes, in the strange little nicknames that many of us wear as proudly as any name tag, in every dice roll of ‘10,000’, in the spring flowers, buried smugly among the petals in a way that says, “I told you this was a zinnia!”, in lemon pudding cake & cherry pie with ice cream, in the grandchildren who have lived every second of life with the comfort and reassurance that Papa is in their corner, in every “not cool, it’s damn cold” breeze that blows by, in the countless photos of trips, adventures, and joyful moments he shared with friends & family alike, in his wife’s every step - forever close-by the woman he spent his entire life loving with everything he had, in his hand-written pancake recipe with its top-secret ingredient, in old country songs & Western classics, and anywhere quiet with a warm blanket & a joke book.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Glenn may be made to either Stedman Hospice or the Canadian Cancer Society and would be greatly appreciated by the family. Share memories or online condolences below.
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