Glenn Owen Dunham's Obituary
Born on 6/7/1934 in Van Nuys CA, to Merton Lawrence Dunham and Mildred Catherine (Mercier) Dunham, passed away on 7/19/2022 peacefully in his sleep to fly in clear blue skies for eternity. Glenn’s love of and pride for his entire family was absolutely palpable. Always encouraging of his kids' and grandkids' ambitions, he was their #1 biggest fan. His ability to communicate his love for his family, and have us truly feel it, was one of his best traits. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to for us. He loved his siblings deeply.
A true Renaissance man, Glenn could do anything he set his mind to do. Mechanically talented, he could fix anything. His carpentry skills and abilities led him to leave California for Montana to build a log home and live among nature and clean air. An occasional craftsman might come help him, but he did most everything himself — plumbing, electrical, you name it. The home was on 10 acres where he grew alfalfa for horse feed. No hired hands helped, just his young teenage daughters, much to their dismay at the time! He was the epitome of a hard worker and perfectionist.
His zest for life and adventurous spirit took him to the depths of the oceans and the heights of the skies and tops of many mountains. He learned to scuba dive in Hawaii where he lived while working there in the 1980s. He then lived and worked in Truk, Micronesia, and Guam and also loved diving there. He took up underwater photography while there so he could capture and share the ocean life’s beauty with his friends and family. He loved the lifelong friends he made in these foreign places.
In addition to diving, he was fascinated by and thrilled with flying. During his time in the Navy, he was a plane captain for Lt. Wally Schirra and fell in love with airplanes and anything military related. He loved America and his time in the Navy. He later got his pilot’s license and flew small planes recreationally. One of his proudest accomplishments was buying a 1945 Stearman bi-plane, in pieces and parts, and restoring it to its original glory with assistance from his wife, Virginia “Ginny” Dunham. They met many new friends during this labor-of-love project while spending many hours at the Redlands Airport. After selling their airplane, he and the new owner forged a deep friendship that lasted the rest of his life. Oh, and he also skydived -- fearless man!
In addition, he and Ginny were avid gardeners. He planted beautiful rose bushes just for her to enjoy. They grew fruits and vegetables that they shared with friends and family. His attention to his yard and gardens was relentless. He loved many genres of music and he liked to sing. He taught himself to play harmonica. He loved books and reading, having worked for Prentice Hall Publishing for many of his young adult years. There was never a shortage of books in the house! A very broad swath of subject matter was always around. He loved learning new things and was self-taught. He was fiercely independent and stood up for himself, his family, and what he thought mattered in the world, making sure to teach us to do the same.
He had a great sense of humor and was quick to laugh and smile with us, especially later in life. We will miss his loving words and laughter.
Glenn was preceded in death by both of his parents, his sisters Valerie J. Sutherland Conter and Marlene L Sutherland Daroczi.
He is survived by his wife, Virginia Dunham of Redlands CA; his dog Waggles; his siblings Lenore “Lynsie” Deverich of Palm Desert CA and brother Dennis Dunham of Grass Valley CA; his children Scott (Katie) Dunham of Pittsboro NC, Kevin (Lonette) Dunham of Grass Valley CA, Shellie (Keith Jarvis) Dunham of Denver CO, and Kimberlie (Gus) Dunham Bergsma; grandchildren Matt Dunham of Madison WI, Michael (Kelly) Dunham of Grass Valley CA, Stephanie Dunham of Grass Valley CA, Carlie Jarvis of Denver CO, Sandra, Sabrina, Bret, and Josie Bergsma of Escondido CA; and great-grandchildren Peter and Morgan Dunham of Grass Valley CA.
His interment is planned for 1:30 on 9/22/22 at Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego where he’ll be given full military honors.
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