Glen Lamar Hower, 90, of Pullman, Washington passed away

on Friday, January 3, 2025 after a lifetime of caring, commitment and unwavering

dedication to family, friends, students and faculty, Dr. Glen L. Hower passed away

peacefully at his home. He was preceded in death by his wife, Juanita Jane Hower, his sister,

Beatrice Hower Dearing, his brother-in-law Darrell Dearing, his brother-in-law Garry Gault,

and his parents, Glen & Katie Hower.

Glen was known by his middle name, "Lamar" for most of his life. He was born in Dryden,

Washington on February 8, 1934 to Glen and Katie Hower. As the middle child between his

two sisters, he spent his childhood growing up among the orchards and mountains of the

greater Wenatchee and Leavenworth area. His family were orchardists, mostly growing

apples and pears.

From a young age, Lamar developed a passion for the mountains, lakes, streams and

fishing. He was an avid hiker and backpacker, taking his first overnight trip in 1948, at the

age of 14. He continued to hike, backpack and fish nearly every year for the next 73 years,

but finally hung up his boots and backpacks after one final trip in 2021 at the age of 87.

One of Lamar's missions on these trips was to visit at least one new high mountain lake. He

chronicled his trips by taking thousands of beautiful slides. Ultimately, he hiked to at least

867 different lakes, logged over 5,000 trail miles, and caught countless fish.

Lamar often led Boy Scouts on hikes, including 50-milers, and cumulatively did 23 annual

50-mile trips with the scouts. He estimated that he led at least 250 Boy Scouts on

backpacking trips over the years.

As a talented athlete, Lamar played both basketball and baseball. He graduated from

Dryden High School in June of 1952. He also attended and played basketball at Wenatchee

Jr. College.

Lamar met the first love of his life, Juanita Jane Myers, in Dryden, Washington and married

her on June 10, 1956. They spent the next 54 years together surrounded by their family and

an amazing network of dear friends. They raised three children together, Karen, Dan and

Dave, who each carry on many of their special talents and gifts. Lamar taught his kids wiffle

ball in the front yard, basketball on the driveway, and backpacking practice round and

round the house. Summers were spent camping, hiking and fishing, slideshows with tents,

campfires, smores and outhouses. Lamar and Nita made sure their kids felt loved, felt safe

and had each other's backs.

Lamar's love of children began with the birth of his daughter in 1957 clear through the

birth of his great grandson in 2023. In 1977 as a first time Grandpa, he fell head over heels

with love for all of the subsequent babies that came along. He doted on his grandchildren

and great grandchildren.

Later on he wanted to pass on his love of camping, backpacking and fishing – so, "The

Annual Grandkids Backpacking Trip" was born and continued through 2011. He invested

his time and love into his grandkids and the memories of those trips will live on forever.

Glen completed his bachelor's (1956) and master's (1961) degrees in Electrical

Engineering at Washington State University and holds his Ph.D from Stanford University.

His skills and academic record generated high demand for him in the private sector, but his

true calling was to teach. So, immediately following graduation from Stanford, he and his

family returned to WSU as a professor in the Engineering Department. During Glen's 43

years on the faculty as professor, advisor, Assistant Dean, chair, associate chair and

associate director, he taught 125 classes, instructed nearly 4,500

students on the principals of their field and advised more than 1,000 students for their

future careers. A long list of graduates still kept in touch.

His honors include – 1996 Golden Key National Honor Society Advisor of the Year; 1992

Outstanding Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; 1988 Outstanding

Professor of the College of Engineering and Architecture and Electrical and Computer

Engineering; ALCOA Foundation Professor at WSU from 1972-75; and more. Following his

lifetime career and dedication to WSU and the Electrical Engineering Department, the

Electrical/Mechanical Engineering building was named "Hower Tower," truly one of the

highlights of his amazing career.

These are not the things Glen talked about. What he did mention is the impact he had on his

students. He was referred to as the "student's professor," and that's what was most

important to Glen. He loved to teach. He was a valuable mentor, providing guidance,

wisdom and encouragement. By example, he embodied patience, empathy and integrity. He

inspired his students and others to strive to showcase their passion for their work. He will

be remembered by his dedication to helping others succeed. He left a lasting impact on

those he mentored.

Before Glen knew it, along came the second love of his life, Gloria Tinder Hower (a lifelong

friend). They were married on October 27, 2012. It was obvious to all how much love they

had for each other. They spent time traveling, hiking, and they especially loved to spend

time with their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and the many dear friends in

their lives. They were married for 12 lovely years before Glen's passing.

Glen is survived by his wife, Gloria Tinder Hower; his sister, Darlene Hower Gault; his

children and their spouses – Karen and Roger Bright, Dan and Missy Hower, Dave and

Sharon Hower and his grandchildren – Kate Guske, Sarah Guske and Steve Jones, Amy

Hower, Jacob Hower, Jennifer and Sean Martin, Steven and Crystelle Hower, Rachel and

Charlie Cox, Tianna and Rusty Hill; his great grandchildren – Hunter, Ethan, Dominic,

Emmett, Zachary, Nathaniel, Madelyn, Adam, Addison, Kinsley, Paisley;

and longtime son-in-law – Joseph Guske. When Glen married Gloria he had the pleasure of

adding even more cherished family members to his life – Scott and Alexander; Rusty, Cari

and Harlan; Sean, Renee, Paige and Drew; Elissa, Aly, Davis, Zach and Sean.

Even though Glen was a quiet man, he led by example, passing along the qualities of

integrity, love of family and friends, and the importance of selflessness and service to

others. He was a man of immense wisdom and kindness with an unwavering dedication to

his loved ones. He faced down some tough medical challenges the last few years, but he

never lost his sense of humor. Throughout his journey he continued to take pleasure in

making us laugh and he always had a chuckle when listening to our stories and jokes.

He invested his love, his time, and his life to the most important thing in his life – people.

From his family to the boy scouts, his students, work peers and the many cherished and

close friends – none will ever forget him. Everyone who was blessed to be a part of his life

are better human beings than they might have been.

Glen's family would like to thank the following people from Hospice for their loving care of

Glen: Jolene, Rachael, Kelli, Jim, Annika, Rochelle, and the on-call nurses. A great debt of

gratitude also goes to Dr. Stefanie Fosback, nurse Danielle, Jessie Penman, and Pullman

EMTs for their support, expertise and encouragement.

Please join us for the celebration of Glen's life on: Saturday, February 8, 2025.  (Glen's actual birthday!  He would have been 91 years old.)  The service will begin at 11:00 a.m. at the Pullman Presbyterian Church, 1630 NE Stadium Way, Pullman, WA 99163.  Reception following at Paradise Creek Brewery/Restaurant 245 S.E. Paradise St., Pullman, WA 99163.  Donations to honor Glen's memory may be made to: The WSU Glen and Juanita Hower Endowed Fund for Student Excellence WSU Foundation, P.O. Box 641925, Pullman, WA 99164-1925 (509)335-6686 or 800-GIV-2-WSU foundation@wsu.edu or Pullman Presbyterian Church, 1630 N.E. Stadium Way, Pullman, WA. 99163 (509)332-2659.

Corbeill Funeral Home of Pullman, WA has been entrusted with arrangements.  Online condolences may be sent to www.corbeillfuneralhomes.com