Obituary of Glenn D. Breuer

Glenn Breuer, 95, of Schenectady, NY, passed away after a brief illness on January 14. 2022. Throughout his life, Glenn enjoyed gardening, traveling, woodworking, going for long walks, music and lifelong learning. Glenn was born in Berkeley, California and became an Eagle Scout. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in Electrical Engineering, where he played varsity football. He served briefly in the United States Navy at the end of World War II. He moved east to work for General Electric in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where he met his wife, Katharine Joan Westwood. He worked for General Electric for 45 years in Pittsfield and Schenectady, New York, as an expert in high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission. He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and received a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, was an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fellow and was a Distinguished Member of the International Council on Large Electric Systems (CIGRE). In his retirement, Glenn continued to teach HVDC at Penn State University well into his eighties. He became a Master Gardener and volunteered in that program, becoming an expert in composting and compost tea. Glenn loved teaching and would explain HVDC, compost tea, celestial navigation or gardening to anyone for as long as they would listen. He was predeceased by his wife, Joan, in 2005 after 55 years of marriage. Survivors include his companion of 15 years, Gail Flanery; sons John Breuer (Katy) and David Breuer (Marie Louise Bistrup) and daughter Katy Breuer (Fernando Melendez); grandchildren Elizabeth, Meredith, Malik, Gillian and Sonia; and great-grandchildren Ian, Colby, Alice, Emmeline, Luna, Mathilde, Penelope and Balder. In accordance with his wishes, there will be no memorial service, although a celebratory gathering will be planned for the warmer months. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his name to the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schenectady County or Landis Arboretum.