Glenn Owen Asbury

Published 12:31 am Friday, March 6, 2015

October 6, 1958 – February 13, 2015

Glenn Owen Asbury, the man whose life was partly defined by his love of speed on land, sea, or snow, passed away in his sleep at home in Bend, Oregon, on Friday morning, Feb 13, 2015. Glenn’s joy for life was surpassed only by his devotion to his beloved children, Brandon and Maddie.

A celebration of Glenn’s life will be held at Aspen Hall in Shevlin Park, Saturday, March 7, at 1 PM. A potluck style reception will follow.

Growing up in McMinnville, Oregon, the son of teachers June and Gordon, Glenn was known for his easy smile and loyalty to all and a wicked sense of humor (and by the girls for those famous baby blue eyes). An honor society student, trumpet player and track athlete, Glenn could be seen riding the streets of ‘Mac’ on his quick orange Yamaha.

After a stint in Hawaii working and exploring Maui, Glenn headed back to the mainland. Bend, Oregon to be specific, to complete his masters degree in skiing at the University of Mt. Bachelor (with a minor in big air!). Glenn embraced all the outdoor activities Central Oregon had to offer from XC skiing, guiding whitewater rafts, wind surfing, to end of day climbs of ‘Mt B’ and the Cinder Cone followed by plunges with as few ski turns as humanly possible! Glenn was an especially accomplished whitewater kayaker with descents of some of Oregon and Northern California’s biggest water. And no one yet has disputed his land speed record on his Kawasaki 750 from the Inn of the Seventh Mountain Resort to Bend wearing shorts and flip flops!!

With the arrival of Brandon, Glenn settled into being a Dad, and made the recreation industry his vocation as a ski shop manager for over 20 years. As dive instructor, it’s thought Glenn may have taught half the town of Bend (a land locked city 200 miles from the closest ocean!) to scuba dive from the frigid waters of the NW to the warmer climes of the Caribbean. During that time, Glenn’s pride in watching Brandon’s accomplishments in competitive ice skating and later his career in corporate interior design was always evident.

In 2001, Glenn’s little princess Maddie was born and stole his heart. Trips with Maddie to Goody’s candy store or to feed the ducks at Drake Park were times of pure joy. She’s been his shining star, now and forever.

Glenn’s life with the disease ALS, did not define him and certainly showed his measure of strength and toughness. Glenn took the disease on in his owns terms and with his own stubborn style. Whether it was taking Maddie on wheel chair rides across town to the library or racing gates with the adaptive sports team from OAS; Glenn never slowed down (true to form watching Glenn get his power chair to top speed and go ‘off road’ was something to see). Through it all, he maintained the dry wit that would leave people laughing when he’d drop a one liner on them. A huge debt of gratitude goes out to Glenn’s team of friends and dedicated caregivers that became friends, that circled around him for almost 9 years and helped him through the stages of a brutal illness, you did such a wonderful job….and you were able to keep him out of mischief (most of the time!).

Music, especially live music, was important to Glenn. Many a summer night, Glenn would be in his chair at the amphitheater, front left, surrounded by his ‘posse’, many of them female (yes, those baby blues were still enchanting!). He enjoyed the transformational escape that music gave him, and gave us all when we were with him.

Glenn is survived by his son Brandon Asbury of Portland and daughter Madison Langdon of Bend as well his brother Gregg of Lincoln City, sister Karen and her husband Bob of Lebanon and his nieces Kate and Gina. He is preceded in death by his parents.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Glenn’s name to either The ALS Association Oregon and SW Washington Chapter, please visit http://webor.alsa.org/goto/InMemoryofGlennAsbury, or call 800-681-9851 ext. 103, or mail a check to 700 NE Multnomah St, Suite 1180, Portland, Oregon 97232, or to Oregon Adaptive Sports, please visit Oregon Adaptive Sport Memorial to Glenn Asbury, or call 541-350-7844, or mail a check to 63025 OB Riley Road, Suite 12, Bend, OR 97701.