Glen Murray Pettinger

A farm boy, a spy, an athlete and a coach, a paddler, a poet, a singer and a banjo player. An actor, a teacher, a philosopher, a traveller, a leader, a storyteller and a student.

It is with deep sorrow we mourn the loss of our beloved Glen, 91 years old, in Ottawa, on October 12th. Glen was a man of diverse interests; he loved music and the arts (he performed with the Ottawa Little Theatre and played banjo at school assemblies), academia, sports, language, canoeing and camping. A life-long learner himself, his life’s work was in the field of education, first as an English teacher, then a Vice Principal and later Principal in the Ottawa Carleton District School Board. He entered the University of Western Ontario at age 16 on a basketball scholarship and graduated summa cum laude. There, he met the love of his life, Nancy, and they were married in 1953. He played on the Canadian Olympic basketball team in Helsinki in 1952 and also in the 1959 Pan Am games. Glen and Nancy have lived a long, happy and adventurous life in Ottawa, and then Perth Ontario. A self-taught musician, he nurtured a deep love of music in all of his children and grandchildren, playing the banjo with enthusiasm. We all enjoyed his raucous version of “The Fox” and more subdued version of “Roddy McCorley,” and we will always remember his rendition of “The Golden Vanity.” At school, he directed several theatrical productions and organized international exchange programs. He was Captain at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club two years running. Nancy and Glen traveled extensively, to destinations such as Africa, England and Scotland and they sailed the British Virgin Islands. Predeceased by his father Murray, mother Gladys and sister Joan Maybee, he leaves his wife Nancy and a legacy of four children, Wendy Maleta (Jon), Kim Czerny-Holownia (Nicholas), Jill Simard (Louis), and Chris Pettinger (Barbara) as well as his grandchildren, Olivia, Adam, Kasimir, Emma, Lucas, Stephanie, Samantha, Selena, Sydney, Brian and Keith, along with great-grandchildren Liam, Ellis, Tiia and Ida and his siblings Lois and Gary. He will be remembered as a fair-minded, generous, ethical and supportive teacher who made a positive difference in the many lives he touched. Memorial to be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to The Kidney Foundation of Canada or C.O.D.E., the Canadian Organization for Development through Education.