GLEN WILLIAM HOLMWOOD passed away unexpectedly at his home in Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan on December 23, 2022 at the age of 82. Glen leaves behind 6 nephews and a niece who reside in Alberta, B.C. and the state of Washington. He also leaves numerous friends and colleagues.
Glen was predeceased by his parents, Bert and Ruby, his two older brothers and their wives (Jim & Dolores and Dale and Doris), and one of his nephews.
Glen was born in the community of Wilkie, Saskatchewan on November 30, 1940. He spent his youth in Wilkie prior to attending the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, where he earned a degree in Education. He then took graduate training focused on the education of exceptional children.
After completing his University training, Glen taught in Elrose, Shaunavon and Watrous before joining the Northeast School Division in Hudson Bay. Glen worked initially as an Assistant Director of Education with special responsibility for individuals experiencing disability, prior to becoming the Director of Education for the region.
Glen’s interest in supporting individuals experiencing disability led him to help with the initial formation of Porcupine Opportunities Program (POP), a not-for-profit charity focused on supporting adults experiencing disabilities and based out of Porcupine Plain, Sk. Instrumental in helping set-up the agency, Glen joined POP as a Board member in 1982 when the first community board was formed. He acted as Board Chair for many years and was still involved as a very active Board member up until his passing. Glen was also a member of the local Lions Club for many years.
In addition to his work with POP, Glen served as a Board member of SARC for over 16 years. SARC is a provincial association that provides leadership, training and consulting services to non-profit community based organizations like POP that work within the disability sector. Glen was a very respected and active member of the SARC Board over all of his years of service.
Glen was well known for his “green thumb” and his love of plants, an interest that originally stemmed from his father who owned and operated a greenhouse. Both his home and yard featured a wide variety of different plants and he spent many hours involved in both indoor and outdoor gardening. Glen was a voracious reader who accumulated a wealth of knowledge on a wide variety of subjects. He was the number one “go to” if you wanted to know more about almost any topic. Glen enjoyed travel, and embarked on a number of adventures with both family and friends. He also enjoyed, fishing, camping, and the arts. Little known to many, his interest in the arts led him to involvement in an adult drama club in Porcupine. He also travelled to see a number of different musical and arts productions.
Glen will be remembered for the continuing and lasting contributions he made to the lives of those around him, particularly of close friends in the community and friends and colleagues within Porcupine Opportunities Program and the provincial SARC organization. He will be greatly missed. A celebration of life for Glen will be held later this spring.