Glen Wall (shown at the Idypark dedication, hand over his heart in awe), 101, died Monday, Oct. 22, 2018 in Idyllwild at the loving home he shared with his granddaughter Cindi and her husband Rick Hinds.
Glen was born June 3, 1917, in Manly, Iowa, the third of six children.
Glen started working on cars as a young teenager. It clearly became his life passion. He quickly learned the auto mechanic trade before being drafted into the Army during WWII.
He was enrolled in officer training school prior to the war ending and decided his love of cars was far greater than his love for the Army. When the war ended, he left the armed forces to follow his passion, something he would later often ponder if it was the right decision.
In 1937, Glen met and married the love of his life, Freda Rose Brandenberger. In 1938, Glen and Freda had their one and only child, a daughter they named Joyce. Glen worked in management at an auto dealership until the early 1950s when he and his oldest brother Forey opened Wall Custom Cars in South Gate. They specialized in selling customized, one-of-a-kind modified cars.
In the early 1980s, Glen retired from the car business, and he and his wife moved to Northern California to be closer to their daughter and her husband. Glen went to work for them as a machinery manager at their manufacturing business, Air Factors, in Pleasanton, working for another 20 years.
He finally retired at the age of 87 in 2004. During his retirement, he and his wife Freda lived a quiet life in Pleasanton. In his late 1990s, Glen proudly took on the role of daily caretaker for his wife until her death in 2016. They had been married 77 years.
Shortly thereafter, he relocated, calling Idyllwild home. Glen was honored as the oldest veteran in Idyllwild at the town’s Idypark dedication ceremony in May 2018. It was a true highlight of his final year. He died peacefully at home in Idyllwild several months later.
Glen is survived by his older brother Forest “Forey” Wall (now 106) and two younger sisters, Pearl Porter and Violet Dawson; daughter Joyce Schilling; granddaughters Glenda “Sue” Schilling and Cynthia “Cindi” Hinds; five great-grandchildren, Christina Andring, Kurtis Jones, Michael Jones, Brandon Andring and Amelia Leonard; and 11 great-great grandchildren.
Glen will be remembered by his family for his very favorite things: his love of cars, hot fudge sundaes, spending time with family and motorhome traveling and his ability to “fix anything but a broken heart!”