Obituary of Coline Mortensen Glennon

Coline Mortensen Glennon, 81, passed away Thursday, April 12, 2018 at home, surrounded by her family, after a long and courageous battle with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).

Coline was born May 18, 1936 in Boise, Idaho to Esther (Wallace) and Norral Mortensen, the sixth of seven children.  She was raised in Emmett, Idaho and graduated from Emmett High School with the class of 1955.  On May 5, 1956, she married Edward F. Glennon in Emmett.  Coline and Ed were the very proud parents of three children: Joni, Steve, and Julie.

Coline’s life was defined by her devotion and love for her family; everything else was truly secondary.  With Ed, she was the foundation and driving force which enabled him to build a successful business career while she managed the homefront and raised the kids.  With her children, she was someone who was always there for them, incredibly, but quietly, supportive in whatever endeavor or venture they pursued.  With her grandchildren, she took terrific pride in their accomplishments, and there was very little in her eyes that they could do wrong, although she was not averse to periodically threatening to “get the pancake turner” to get their attention.  And with her siblings, she was part of the glue that kept them all in touch and in each other’s lives, despite often long distances.

Selfless as they come, Coline did enjoy life, however.  She loved to travel with Ed on the many jaunts they took as part of his insurance career.  Card games with the family in Donnelly, or besting the one-arm bandits in Jackpot or Vegas, brought out her competitive spirit.  BSU sports, Duke basketball, the Bulls, and later the Warriors, got her blood pumping as well.  And, prowling the malls in search a bargain with her daughters always brought a smile, at least to them!  But, in the end, it always came back to family that gave her her reason to live and her greatest joy.

Coline is survived by her husband, Ed, and her daughters Joni (Matt) Wood and Julie (Ted) Netz, all of Boise; her son Steve (Chris) of Brentwood, CA; her grandchildren Ted Netz and Steven (Abbie) Netz of Boise, Russ Wood of Portland, OR, Allyssa Wood of Boise, Nicole Glennon of Los Angeles and Danielle Glennon of Seattle; one great-grandson, Ford Netz; her brother Don of Denver, CO; and sisters Ann Smith of Chico, CA, and Gail Mortensen of Seattle; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and by her siblings Ken Mortensen, Cleone Hyde and Norreen Stipp.

At Coline’s request, no funeral services will be held.  Donations may be made in her name to St. Luke’s Health Foundation-MSTI Patient Care or to the MDS Foundation 4573 South Broad St. Ste. 150, Yardville, NJ 08620.  The family would like to thank St. Luke’s Hospice, especially Cara and Merrill, and Dr. Silvana Bucur.  They have helped the family immensely these past several months.

“I am standing upon the seashore.  A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean.  She is an object of beauty and strength.  I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.  Then someone at my side says: ‘There, she is gone!’  ‘Gone Where?’  Gone from my sight.  That is all.  She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear the load of living freight to her destined port. Her diminished size is in me, not in her.  And just at the moment when someone at my side says: ‘There, she is gone!’  There are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: ‘Here she comes!’”  - Henry Van Dyke

You are now with your mom, sisters and brother, Mom.  Rest in peace.  You are loved and will be missed.