Glenn Mehnert

Glenn Marshall Mehnert, 59, of Malvern, died at home on January 21, 2022, after a 15-month contest of wills with cancer.

Glenn was a towering presence, nearly six-and-a-half-feet tall, who delighted in giving hugs that pulled his objects of affection clean off the floor. Even those who acted outwardly uncomfortable in his embraces secretly cherished them.

Glenn was born November 30, 1962, in Glens Falls, New York, to Irene and William Mehnert. He grew up in a mix of communities and, by his own account, finally started to find himself during his junior year of high school in Orono, Maine. From there, he continued to grow, earning a BA in psychology from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, and an MBA from Drexel University in Philadelphia.

During his junior year at St. Olaf, Glenn helped a sophomore named Janice Kenney move into her dormitory. It took a while, but he eventually parlayed that volunteer opportunity into an enduring love affair. Glenn and Jan were married on November 28, 1987. In the years that followed, they added a daughter, Hillary, and son, Benjamin, to their brood. The Mehnerts made their home in West Chester, Pennsylvania, reveled in the time they were able to spend together there, and created additional memories during vacations in far-flung locales and extended-family gatherings in Rangeley, Maine, and Roseville, Minnesota.

After dabbling in banking and sales early in his career, Glenn discovered his calling in the field of executive coaching. In 1992, he and his father Bill founded Strategic Learning, Inc., a consultancy focused on helping companies and organizations develop and nurture their people. Glenn eventually became the firm’s sole owner. Over the years, his work with clients produced countless testimonials extolling his ability to change lives and careers for the better.

Glenn loved to ski, hike, and work out with the crew at Bent on Better, a gym in West Chester, but his true passion was hockey. In 2006, after learning that teenaged girls in West Chester had few, if any, opportunities to play organized hockey, he and daughter Hillary started the East Girls Ice Hockey (EGIC) Vikings, a new club team representing West Chester East High School. Glenn became EGIC’s volunteer head coach, and continued to serve in that capacity long after Hillary graduated. Many young women blossomed as athletes and human beings with his encouragement and guidance. Glenn was also an active and enthusiastic member—as Jan continues to be—of the I-League (aka “beer league”), part of an association of adult hockey players in the West Chester area.

The tumor that developed in Glenn’s leg in 2020 upended his life, making it impossible to work and play the way he was used to, and yet he maintained an almost otherworldly optimism through the entire ordeal. In a recent conversation with son Ben, he affirmed his love of life and his gratitude for the gifts of family, friends, and colleagues. “I have no business complaining,” he said. “Ninety-five percent of the people in this world get to this point in their lives without having a chance to do a tenth of the things I’ve been able to do.”

Glenn is survived by Jan, Hillary and Ben; parents Irene and Bill; and siblings Eric Mehnert (Cynthia), Craig Mehnert (Linda), Brian Mehnert (Ruby), and Jennifer Mehnert Baker (William). His life will be commemorated on March 5, 2022, with a remembrance (1:30 p.m.) and celebration (2:30 p.m.) at Loch Aerie Mansion, 700 Lancaster Ave., Malvern. If you care to share a memorial in his name, the family asks that you make a donation to the cause of your choice. Glenn would give you a big hug of thanks if he could.